By Jordan Shifman
A recent survey of Ontario school boards by Privacy Commissione, Ann Cavoukian has demonstrated widespread use of video surveillance in schools.
However, most Centretown high schools and elementary schools don’t have them.
Only four of the 27 schools in Ottawa use them.
Ottawa-Carleton District School Board manager of insurance portfolio, planning, and transportation, Michael Carson, believes that Ottawa has so few cameras because “the issue of surveillance is always a touchy subject, but we’re coming to the realization that sometimes just having the cameras there deters a possible attempt at vandalism.”
“We think the cameras are a growing part of the solution in obtaining and maintaining a safe environment for students and teachers,” Carson says.
Carson works very closely with the Board’s security coordinator Bill Tyers, who was unavailable for comment.
“The cameras are becoming more and more necessary because of what we call ‘inappropriate behaviour in the schoolyard,’” says OCDSB Trustee Joan Spice.
She says this “inappropriate behaviour” refers to vandalism, marijuana smoking, and trespassers.
Spice says that more cameras may be installed in the future because people are increasingly seeing it as necessary and helpful, rather than as an invasion of privacy, as long as none are placed in washrooms or change rooms.
“They are everywhere now . . . you see them in every store and it’s causing people to accept them,” she says.
One Ottawa school with surveillance cameras is Glebe Collegiate Institute.
The school currently has four cameras mounted on the outside of the building at each of its four corners.
Principal Frank Allan says the survey’s findings, which stated that 80 per cent of Ontario schools use surveillance, is “absolutely just not true. That percentage is not right.”
That’s because schools have to pay for the cameras with money from their own budget without any funding from the school board, he says.
And most schools can’t afford them.
Glebe Collegiate can afford cameras because it is the second-largest school in Ottawa, says Allan.
Vice-principal Clay Plumadore is primarily responsible for monitoring the nearly 10-year-old surveillance system.
He says cameras are essential because of that common ‘inappropriate behaviour’.
“In a perfect world we wouldn’t need cameras, but this is not a perfect world. We need cameras. It’s pretty expensive to keep a school up and running and so we’re trying to protect an investment,” he says.
Nepean High School recently invested in new digital cameras that cost nearly $12,000 and can be monitored in colour, on computers, and with high resolution, unlike the regular black and white systems.
Centennial Public School also has a surveillance camera.
Michael Carson says surveillance use by schools has always been subject to informal policies, but a formal plan is currently being designed by the OCDSB.
The policy is expected to be released towards the end of next month.
The issue: A recent informal survey of Ontario school boards showed that 80% of schools in Ontario use video surveillance, including in Ottawa.
What’s new: Only about four schools out of 27 in Ottawa use video surveillance cameras. Surveillance use is becoming more accepted and schools would benefit from their use, however, costs are in excess of $12,000 for new digital equipment.
What it means: The survey was disproportionately reflective of other parts of Ontario, but not Ottawa. The Glebe C.I. principal, Frank F. Allan, believes the survey was inaccurate altogether because surveillance is too expensive for most schools. Glebe C.I. can afford some surveillance units because it is the second largest school in Ottawa and receives more funding.
What’s next: The OCDSB is developing policies that will govern surveillance use in schools. The policy plan will be released towards the end of next month.