Recent events in several schools, including the tragic events in
Sandy Hook in the United States, have raised the profile of school
safety issues, including the use of video surveillance. The Office of the
Information and Privacy Commissioner of Newfoundland and
Labrador recently released a set of Guidelines for the Use of Video Surveillance
Systems in Schools which will be of interest to schools and school
boards in other jurisdictions. Along with similar Guidelines issued by the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
provide assistance in developing policies to deal with the
difficult balance of the privacy and security issues raised when
video surveillance technologies are installed in schools.
Other assistance can be obtained from a number of school boards who
have already developed such policies. For instance the Eastern School District in Newfoundland and
Labrador already had a Policy as does School District No. 34 (Abbotsford,
BC) and the London District Catholic Board. A
number of other Boards also have policies that will provide useful
guidance.
The principles that apply to the development of a policy on video
surveillance in schools will also apply to surveillance on school
busses. In the Yukon Territory, for instance, the
policy applies to both schools and school buses.
In all cases, the focus of a policy needs to be the protection of
privacy rights as balanced against the right of students to
physical security and the protection of property.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
