Cameras in the Classrooms Would Help with Both Teacher and Student Accountability

20Feb
by Leticia Chavez-Garcia

There are so many reasons to put surveillance cameras in our classrooms. In 2019, teachers are already subject to surveillance by students via cellphones and other devices.  Too often though, students start running their phone cams after an incident has begun and we don’t get the full story.  

Schools that use cameras have seen an increase in academic performance and a decrease in discipline. Why do you think that is? Maybe because everyone has to step up their game when they know they are being watched!

But what about privacy? Please! Every store you go into has cameras everywhere watching every move you make! Cameras on the streets take pictures of you running street lights, and at every ATM, every bank, every hospital or medical facility, we are already being filmed or surveilled constantly. Police even use vehicle license plate readers to pull up everything about you while you are in your car near them. Privacy is now nothing more tangible nostalgia in 2019. You have none. Closed circuit TV (CCTV) in classrooms would be used as an accountability and safety feature for schools.

Public schools should have Closed Circuit TV surveillance in all classrooms and throughout the campus (but not in bathrooms) for the protection of everyone!  Let’s consider what is happening in our schools. Teachers are accused of various levels of wrong doing all the time. Having actual footage would actually help teachers who are wrongly accused of abuse. Cameras will also show us which teachers are actually teaching and making efforts to be effective, and they will also reveal which teachers are not using their time in the classroom wisely. Closed Circuit TV also places an added level of accountability for students. If they know they are being watched, students will check their behavior.  

There are too many instances being reported by special education families that have students that often cannot articulate what is happening to them in the classroom. We need to know that they are not being abused or neglected. Sadly, it has come to this.   

Having CCTV would also address the need for police in our schools. I believe we could start scaling down on having police forces (which cost districts millions of dollars and increase liability expenses) and go back to having school security or resource officers.

I believe there are more reasons to seriously consider doing this now that there are to not do it.

What do you think?

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Leticia Chavez-Garcia

Leticia Chavez-Garcia is a Mother, Grandmother, former Middle School Teacher, former Member of a School Board of Education and an Education Advocate for hundreds of parents and students in the Inland Empire. Having become a mother at 15, Leticia knows what it’s like to be a single mother trying to navigate the education system. Leticia received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science and Public Administration from California Baptist University and a Masters’ Degree in Education Technology from Cal State Fullerton in her 30’s. Leticia has used her knowledge and experience to help hundreds of families as an Education Advocate in the Inland Empire and currently works as an Education Specialist.

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