FILE: EBCB
VIDEO MONITORING OF SCHOOL BOARD PROPERTY
The St. Tammany Parish School Board shall authorize the use of School Board owned and/or installed video cameras on any School Board property, buildings, or facilities and/or vehicles in an effort to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of all staff, students, and visitors to the school, and to safeguard School Board facilities and equipment.
INSTALLATION AND OPERATION OF EQUIPMENT
Video cameras may be installed in identified public areas where monitoring/surveillance is deemed necessary as determined by the Superintendent or his/her designee, but placement shall not be allowed where students, employees, or the public has a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as inside locker rooms and adult and student restrooms.
Monitor/surveillance equipment installed in outdoor areas shall monitor only those areas designated and shall not be directed to look through windows of adjacent buildings or onto adjacent property, whenever possible. Video monitors (reception equipment) shall be located in strictly controlled access areas. Only authorized and designated personnel shall have access to the reception equipment and area and monitors shall not be located as to permit public viewing.
The use of video monitoring/surveillance equipment on school grounds shall be supervised and controlled by the building administrator and/or his/her designee, in conjunction with the Superintendent and/or his/her designee. Video recordings made at the schools or other facilities shall be maintained by the School System Administration. Video monitoring/surveillance equipment shall be operated on a twenty-four (24) hour, seven (7) day a week basis.
Staff personnel permitted access to the video monitoring/surveillance system and equipment shall be required to follow all operational regulations and procedures developed in accordance with this policy. Staff and students shall be prohibited from unauthorized use, tampering with, or otherwise interfering with the placement or operations of the video monitoring/surveillance equipment and system and shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary action including termination or expulsion.
The School Board shall provide reasonable safeguards, including but not limited to, password protection, network security, and control of physical access to protect the monitor/surveillance systems from vandals and unauthorized users. Proper training shall be provided for authorized users.
VIDEO RECORDINGS
Recordings made through the School Board’s video monitoring/surveillance system shall be confidential. The video recordings may only be viewed by the Superintendent and/or his/her designees. In the event a video recording reveals activity the Superintendent believes violates School Board policies or state or federal law, the Superintendent may turn over such video recordings to applicable law enforcement authorities. If an individual or individuals on such video recording are students or staff of the district, they shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary action.
Video recordings will be retained by the School Board for such period as is technologically feasible but in no event shall the video recording be required to be maintained any longer than twenty-five (25) days, provided that the recordings may be kept for a longer period if the recordings reveal activity the Superintendent or his/her designee believes violates School Board policies or state or federal law. Video recordings not retained shall have their images overwritten. The Superintendent or his/her designee shall take additional steps as deemed appropriate to prevent unauthorized persons from accessing the recordings.
Video recordings shall be stored in a secure, locked location in a controlled access area at the school or facility where maintained that will also protect the recordings from damage by fire or water. Each storage device shall be dated and labeled, whenever possible. Access to storage devices shall be limited to authorized, designated personnel only. A log shall be maintained that provides details of all access to, and use (viewing) of any recorded material.
Video recordings may become a part of a student’s educational record or employee’s personnel file. The School Board shall comply with all applicable state and federal laws and School Board policies related to the recording’s maintenance and retention.
Video recordings may be copied, distributed to, and viewed by public safety agencies, School Board safety and security personnel, the parish District Attorney, and/or appropriate law enforcement personnel, when approved by the Superintendent or his/her designee, or when subpoenaed for any court proceedings when authorized by law. Video recordings shall not be viewed by, copied, or released to any other person or agencies not referenced above except when specifically authorized by the Superintendent.
ACCESS TO PERSONAL INFORMATION
Video recordings made through the School Board’s video monitoring/surveillance system shall not be considered public record. Access however, to personal information contained in any recordings may be granted in whole or in part to an individual in accordance with law.
Adopted: August 10, 2017
Ref: La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §17:81
Board minutes, 8-10-17
St. Tammany Parish School Board