ICHABOD CRANE 8210.1
USE OF SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS ON SCHOOL PROPERTY
The Board of Education is responsible for maintaining and fostering student discipline, as well as safeguarding the facilities and property of the district. The Board further recognizes the importance of student, staff and visitor privacy. The Board supports the use of surveillance cameras on school grounds subject to the applicable provisions of collective bargaining agreements. Cameras are an important component of the district’s overall approach to safety, in conjunction with the district’s school safety plans. Surveillance cameras are intended to monitor student behavior, promote student and staff safety, and to deter vandalism and other criminal activity. However, this does not preclude other uses deemed appropriate by the Board of Education. Recordings may be used as evidence of misconduct in disciplinary proceedings.
District surveillance cameras will only be used in public areas where there is no “reasonable expectation of privacy.” Audio recordings and/or surveillance will not be utilized by school district employees: however, such prohibition does not preclude the use of audio recordings by law enforcement officials in accordance with their duties and/or as otherwise authorized by law.
Any video recording used for surveillance purposes in school buildings and/or on school property is the sole property of the district. The Superintendent or designee will be the custodian of such recordings. All video recordings will be stored in their original form and secured to avoid tampering and protect confidentiality. The district will comply with all applicable state and federal laws related to student records in retaining these recordings.
Requests to view a video recording must be made in writing to the Superintendent or designee. If the request is granted, viewing shall occur in the presence of the district’s custodian of the recording. Under no circumstances will the video be duplicated and/or removed from district premises, unless in accordance with a court order and/or subpoena.
The district will post appropriate signage at entrances to the school notifying students, staff and the general public of the district’s use of surveillance cameras. Students and staff will receive additional notification. Such notification may include publication in the district calendar, employee handbook and student handbook.
The Superintendent is authorized to develop such regulations and procedures as may be necessary to implement this policy.
Cross-ref:
1120 School District Records
5500 Student Records
8130 School Safety Plans and Teams
Ref:
20 U.S.C. §1232g (Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act)
Arts & Cultural Affairs Law Art. 57-A
Public Officers Law §87
8 NYCRR 185.15 (Appendix L) Retention and Disposition Schedule For New York Local Government Records (LGS-1)
Records Retention & Disposition Schedules for Use by School Districts, Schedule ED-1
Effective Date: March 10, 2026