Samohi Cameras Set to Roll This Fall

By Menaka Fernando
Special to The Outlook

June 9 -- When Santa Monica High School students return to school from their summer vacations next fall, several extra pairs of eyes will be geared up to overlook some of their actions and hopefully curb acts of vandalism that cost the district tens of thousands of dollars each year.

But instead of human eyes, this added surveillance will be provided by newly installed cameras whose use was given the final go-ahead by the Santa Monica School Board last week. Under the approved policy, cameras will be installed in selected areas throughout the district.

Costs due to vandalism and property loss at Samohi amounted to more than $20,000 between July 2003 and April 2005, according to a report from district staff.

Though the policy was approved unanimously, board members acknowledged that the cameras have raised privacy concerns among some parents and students at the high school.

"We need to do everything we can to ensure that are schools are safe ... it is a top priority for the school district," said board member Oscar de la Torre, who is executive director of the Pico Youth and Family Center.

"(Some) feel that they are being watched or don't feel safer as a result” of the cameras, de la Torre said. “Others have stated that they welcome it and don't fear that information will be used against them. It's a matter of perspective."

De la Torre noted that the majority of the cameras will face the exterior of the school, with less than a handful facing in on the campus.

According to the policy, the cameras will be used in areas approved by the superintendent, "but will not be used in locations where persons have reasonable expectation of privacy (e.g. bathrooms, locker rooms, changing rooms)."

Still, some students and parents remain concerned. Marlene Herrera, co-president of the Bilingual Advisory Committee, said more parent input should be solicited when policy changes are made during the public comment period of the board's meeting.

It is all too common for students to go on summer vacation and be surprised to find changes when they return, she said, citing the camera installations as an example. Herrera's comments were relayed through translation.

Some students have previously told The Lookout that they would feel uncomfortable knowing they were being watched by surveillance cameras. After the Site Governance Council approved the cameras in fall 2004, Samohi's student newspaper reported that several students had similar privacy concerns.

Some board members and students also have worried that the cameras will be used to monitor campus fights, especially in light of the highly publicized brawl that broke out at Samohi on April 15.

But de la Torre -- who had expressed the same concerns -- pointed out that the discussion over the cameras preceded the fight at the high school.

Still, there is a "real possibility that cameras might capture (something) that has nothing to do with vandalism and at that point, information can be used by law enforcement," he said.

Though the policy states that the system will not be installed to protect the victims of violent crimes or to detect illegal activities other than vandalism, it notes that "any information about illegal activities obtained through the video recordings may be used to assist law enforcement as evidence in such cases."

Signs will be posted around campus to indicate the locations of cameras, and flyers will inform parents and students about their installation, according to the policy.

De la Torre also recommended that the district post "Know Your Rights" fliers around campus to make students aware of local, state and federal laws that could affect them in a school setting.

In past meetings, school president Emily Bloomfield has agreed with the suggestion, but the board has not taken action on the recommendation.