In a world where violence seems to occur on an almost daily basis, the increasing push for security raises multiple questions, comments, and concerns. Numerous school officials have voiced their deep concern for increasing and updating their security processes. Whether it is by adding additional security personnel at the entryways of their schools, or vamping up their surveillance monitoring, schools across the country are looking for additional ways to keep the children safe.
The question has now begun to arise of "how much is too much?" Students in Walpole, Massachusetts for example, have established a petition to prevent their school from installing surveillance cameras in the hallways. "The cameras proposed for the high school hallways are an unwarranted invasion of our privacy in a place that is supposed to be a supportive environment of learning. It creates a feeling of distrust between the students and the administrators," said the group's ringleader1. The group that has dubbed themselves the Students Opposing Surveillance (SOS) has collected over 500 signatures and is set to argue their case in front of the school board. However, it would be naïve to think that Walpole is the only school that is dealing with their security issues. This is a major concern for school administrations, parents, and obviously students to determine how much is too much? School officials and parents want to make sure that the children are in a safe environment, as they should be when they step off the big yellow bus. Students, on the other hand, don't want to feel like they are being watched every time that they punch in their locker combination.
However, the purpose for the added security is not to find out whom Joey is going on a date with this Friday night, but to take the necessary measures to make sure that all are kept safe. If an incident does occur, these security systems will be vital in helping to get to the bottom of what happened. Another Walpole student said in the same article that "these cameras will not stop bullets from flying, or put Kevlar in front of the students," but while those cameras don't physically do those things necessarily, they certainly provide a sense of comfort. Everyone is certainly entitled to their own opinion on this matter, but the question will continue to arise of how much is too much.
Tasco Security has the experience with knowing the right balance between securing your home and intruding on privacy. Tell us your thoughts.
1Johanna Seltz “Walpole Students Petition Against School Surveillance Cameras”, Boston.Com (March 2013)
