On the campus of Central Michigan University in the town of Mt. Pleasant, administrators have installed security cameras in hopes of catching thieves. Sadly, as recounted by senior Meghan Rhoa in the publication CM Life, the cameras failed to capture any images showing who stole her friend's bike.
This is just one small example of the downsides of security cameras on campuses.
Despite the fact the cameras often fail to catch thieves, administrators continue to put them up on campuses all over the country — a threat to the learning environment of students and teachers alike.
Many schools around the country have installed security camera systems inside schools with the hopes of reducing vandalism, thefts, drug use and fighting. Twenty-eight out of 30 schools in Oakland County, Mich., have followed this course of action, installing cameras in schools, except inside locker rooms and bathrooms.
Students may now feel the need to be extra careful with everything they say or do because they are always conscious of someone watching them.
In response, students at Seaholm High School and Groves High School in Oakland County have started the group “Students against Security Cameras” (SASC), which has been actively protesting the installment of cameras at their school, stating that it creates an “atmosphere of distrust in schools.”
Distrust is not the only concern with installation of cameras in a school environment. The constant feeling of being watched can create an environment of uneasiness for students, making it harder for them to learn.
According to Scholastic, a company dedicated to literature and education, the installation of a camera security system costs approximately $500,000, not including regular maintenance fees. Although schools will most likely not withdraw money from accounts used for educational purposes, the money used for installing these cameras could be put to much better use.
Schools looking to place large sums of money on security systems should allocate the money toward renovation of classrooms, certain parts of the campus or anything that would challenge students academically.
Furthermore, many schools installing these systems are already fairly safe.
One example of this is Ann Arbor Pioneer School, a school with “low crime rates” and “a lot of eyes in the hall” according to legislative director of American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan (ACLU) Shelli Weisberg. When asked, students at Ann Arbor say the system has increased a level of discomfort in the environment in the school.
Teachers may also feel pressured to act stricter or more authoritative if cameras are installed in classrooms, which can also hinder the progress of a class. No one will get the most out of their day academically or socially, producing a lose-lose situation.
The purpose of installing these cameras is to reduce crime on a school campus, not to make anyone uncomfortable. However, a loss of privacy and comfort for the students is the result.
Even if a crime were to occur at any of the high schools with the camera systems, there is no guarantee it will help administrators solve it efficiently.
For starters, most crimes occur in locker rooms; however it is illegal to place security cameras in locker rooms and bathrooms as it is a violation of privacy. Installing cameras in other areas of the school, especially very open areas like hallways, will barely reduce crime since they do not occur in there.
When a Michigan principal was asked by Weisberg how he would determine the right criminal among 50 other students for a theft caught by the security system, he replied, “We know who the bad kids are.”
This only made Weisberg wonder “why do [they] need the camera?”
Instead of adding security cameras everywhere, schools could just as easily ask students to keep their personal and valuable belongings in their lockers to reduce theft.
Since schools are able to operate normally without added monitoring cameras, security systems are not crucial to the development of a school and therefore should not be established in any school setting. They do not need to spend more money and place multiple security cameras in hallways, classrooms and other useless settings where crimes are not usually committed.
If a school feels that security cameras are a necessity to keep their campus safe, they should place them near entrances or exits of the school or focus on areas where most crimes occur. This way students can come with an open mind to school, ready to learn, without having their academic environment compromised.
