Spy Camera

DO YOU EVER GET the feeling you're being watched? Students in Biloxi, Miss., do. But they aren't paranoid; they are being watched. Some 700 video cameras record students in the hallways, cafeterias, gymnasiums, and--for the first time in the nation--almost every classroom in the district's public schools. The only camera-free areas in the schools are bathrooms and locker rooms.

The cameras, which don't record sound, are contained in circular domes on the ceiling. They roll 24 hours a day and provide panoramic views of classrooms. School administrators, who spent $2.5 million on the video system, can enter a password to view the images on any computer hooked up to the Internet. Any student, parent, or teacher who wants to see the videos needs to get court approval.

Administrators installed the cameras as a way to deter school violence and curb student misbehavior. But critics say that the policy itself needs a good looking-at.

Cut the Cameras!

Maryann Graczyk, president of the Mississippi American Federation of Teachers, told Current Events that the cameras intrude on students' sense of privacy. "[The cameras] teach students that it's OK to be under surveillance 100 percent of the time. It will condition them to accept a lack of privacy for the rest of their lives," she explained.

Graczyk also is concerned that Biloxi doesn't yet have stringent policies to address exactly who can look at the videos and why. "There are no policies to cover intent, access, use, application, and precautions. And that could lead to abuse," she said.

Plus, cameras in classrooms won't necessarily prevent crime in schools, Graczyk said. "Kids who want to start trouble find a way to do it. They'll just go places where there aren't cameras." Besides, there aren't very many troublemakers in Biloxi, according to Graczyk. "They're good kids," she said.

Roll 'em!

Paul Tisdale, director of administrative services for Biloxi public schools, told CE that safety comes first in the district's schools. "Safety is paramount," he said. Besides, "if kids are doing what they're supposed to be doing, [the cameras] shouldn't bother them," he said.

Tisdale stressed that school administrators watch the images only when an incident occurs. "There's not someone who sits there all day watching the cameras."

The cameras have already come in handy, Tisdale said. Last year, a girl had a ring stolen from her desk. "And jumpin' jiminy, sure enough, it was on the tape," he said. The girl got her ring back, and the thief got a suspension.

What do you think? Are Web cameras in the classroom a good idea?

Make it count! Take part in an instant CE poll on this news debate. Go to http://www.weektyreader.com/ce.

Get Talking

Ask students: Do you think school video cameras are a good deterrent of school crime? Why or why not?

Background

The National Center for Education Statistics released a report detailing indicators of school crime and safety in 2001. According to the report:

* In 1999, students ages 12 to 18 were the victims of about 2.5 million total crimes at schools. Of those crimes, about 186,000 were violent crimes, which the report defined as rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault.

* The percentage of students being victimized at school decreased from 10 percent to 8 percent between 1995 and 1999. The largest decrease was in grades 7 to 9.

Doing More

When school administators in Tewksbury, Mass. installed cameras in schools there, the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts objected. The legal group claimed that the cameras violated students' right to privacy as protected by the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which, among other things, guarantees a person's right against unreasonable searches and seizures without probable cause. Ask students how the amendment might--or might not--relate to cameras in the classroom.

Link It

* The American Civil Liberties Union on Student Rights: http://www.aclu.org/Students Rights/StudentsRightsMain.cfm

* United States Department of Justice on School Violence and Safety: http://www.usdoj.gov/youthviolence.htm

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