School safety has unfortunately become a bigger and bigger concern in recent times. Threats that were never a problem ten years ago now plague students with fears and worries that make it almost impossible to study. Cyber bullying, hazing, and gang violence are more prevalent today than they have ever been and parents are starting to fear for their students to go to school and the students are becoming so stressed that they can't get their work done. More and more schools today are installing security cameras in their hallways and parking lots to reduce the violence and persecution between students, but does it really make a difference?
Security camera installation in schools seems to be something that will obviously help protect students in a learning environment, but as much as it will help some parents and students are up in arms about the invasion of privacy that security cameras represent. In a world where no touch under any circumstances laws are being passed concerning students and teachers the idea of watching students constantly may irk some people. The reality is the news networks are full of stories about students being hurt or even killed in their school environment. The presence of security cameras can not only protect students but it can help deter the bad behavior in the first place.
Take Fontainebleu High School in St. Tammany Parish School District. Recently one student approached another student brandishing a curling iron. Panic ensued. Some students jumped in to break up the fight while others threw up their fists in encouragement for the combatants. The crowd was enormous and teachers had to fight the tide to get to the fighting students. With these kinds of reactions to fights making it nearly impossible to see who is fighting security cameras would be invaluable. Luckily for Fontainebleu High School the school security cameras had recently been installed and the offenders were picked out among the crowd. Even better the students who tried to help were praised and the ones who egged the fight on were scolded. "Someone told me that we have more cameras in our high schools than the city of New Orleans has fighting crime on the streets, and ours work," Superintendent Gayle Sloan told the public.
Security cameras in schools can be expensive, anywhere from $500,00 for closed circuit television systems to millions for digital feed systems that broadcasts in real time to a computer network. In the past schools have been able to raise the money without a problem because to parents their childs safety is priceless.
A few things to consider when installing cameras are not to place them directly in classrooms so that they do not interrupt the teachers with unnecessary pressure. Hallways, entrance ways, parking lots, and stair wells are the best places for camera placement. Another thing to consider is that sound should probably not be used. Recording the conversations of students takes the privacy issue to a new level and it is best to avoid it. With careful planning security cameras in schools can greatly improve the lives of school age children that feel threatened at school.
Security camera installation in schools seems to be something that will obviously help protect students in a learning environment, but as much as it will help some parents and students are up in arms about the invasion of privacy that security cameras represent. In a world where no touch under any circumstances laws are being passed concerning students and teachers the idea of watching students constantly may irk some people. The reality is the news networks are full of stories about students being hurt or even killed in their school environment. The presence of security cameras can not only protect students but it can help deter the bad behavior in the first place.
Take Fontainebleu High School in St. Tammany Parish School District. Recently one student approached another student brandishing a curling iron. Panic ensued. Some students jumped in to break up the fight while others threw up their fists in encouragement for the combatants. The crowd was enormous and teachers had to fight the tide to get to the fighting students. With these kinds of reactions to fights making it nearly impossible to see who is fighting security cameras would be invaluable. Luckily for Fontainebleu High School the school security cameras had recently been installed and the offenders were picked out among the crowd. Even better the students who tried to help were praised and the ones who egged the fight on were scolded. "Someone told me that we have more cameras in our high schools than the city of New Orleans has fighting crime on the streets, and ours work," Superintendent Gayle Sloan told the public.
Security cameras in schools can be expensive, anywhere from $500,00 for closed circuit television systems to millions for digital feed systems that broadcasts in real time to a computer network. In the past schools have been able to raise the money without a problem because to parents their childs safety is priceless.
A few things to consider when installing cameras are not to place them directly in classrooms so that they do not interrupt the teachers with unnecessary pressure. Hallways, entrance ways, parking lots, and stair wells are the best places for camera placement. Another thing to consider is that sound should probably not be used. Recording the conversations of students takes the privacy issue to a new level and it is best to avoid it. With careful planning security cameras in schools can greatly improve the lives of school age children that feel threatened at school.
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