Cameras in Schools
Surveillance in schools has become more popular, not only for safety reasons, but also to monitor the classrooms and teachers. In recent years, violent episodes in schools in Arkansas, Colorado, California, Kentucky, Mississippi and other states have led educators and legislators to make safe schools a priority. The only problem with making the schools safer is how to make them safer without people feeling violated. Some programs to decrease the violence and inappropriate behavior rates are character education and peer meditation; however, this is not enough. Educators and legislators feel that with the issue of surveillance, the decrease will be more dramatic. Safety is not the only use for surveillance. Two of the most common types of surveillance are webcams and surveillance cameras. Webcams can record teachers in the classroom, how they handle their students, and the lessons they teach. Because webcams are easily accessed, they have negative responses when used in school settings, questioning the level of privacy. They can also be used for communication between two people (ex: over the Internet).
Surveillance cameras are mainly used for one reason: to ensure safety within a specific area. Surveillance cameras are used in stores, places of business, schools, etc.; however, the use of surveillance cameras in schools has also become a controversial subject over privacy.
Webcams are a more recent form of camera and live recording device. It is a camera that is designed to take digital photographs and transmit them over the internet. Live snapshots are taken and uploaded in regular intervals of a few minutes to continue to show a current picture. These webcam links are located on websites and are a...
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Which can be having armed officers walk though halls, making sure the school is safe from any harm that could potentially happen.
In light of recent acts of violence in the nation’s schools, school safety and security have become a hot topic. However, the issue of school safety goes beyond student violence. It includes property damage, theft, and anything else that concerns the overall well being of schools. While it is important to create a safe environment in schools it is also necessary to make sure students feel comfortable in this atmosphere. The security can not be so overbearing that it becomes a negative tactic that gets in the way of the students main objective, learning. Barely noticeable cameras, ID cards, and security guards without uniforms can help generate this safe, but comfortable learning environment. On the other hand metal detectors and mini police forces may be a little too reminiscent of George Orwell’s novel, 1984, or even modern prisons. School security should not be overbearing or obtrusive where it gets in the way of a comfortable environment that is conducive to learning in the nation’s schools.
Current advancements in technology has given the government more tools for surveillance and thus leads to growing concerns for privacy. The two main categories of surveillance technologies are the ones that allow the government to gather information where previously unavailable or harder to obtain, and the ones that allow the government to process public information more quickly and efficiently (Simmons, 2007). The first category includes technologies like eavesdropping devices and hidden cameras. These are clear offenders of privacy because they are capable of gathering information while being largely unnoticed. The second category would include technologies that are used in a public space, like cameras in a public park. While these devices
Ideally schools in the United States are considered by both parents and students alike to be “safe-havens” where parents can trust their children to learn and remain safe during the day and where students can feel safe in a well-maintained learning environment. However within this fully regulated government service, there are often debates over proper classroom environments, teaching tactics, and privacy issues. Today the main privacy issue in public schools is where to draw the line between keeping the school safe and maintaining the privacy of the students (Boomer par. 19).
Whitefield, Paul. “Yahoo webcam spying: When Big Brother morphs into Peeping Tom”. Los Angeles Times. (27 Feb 2013). Web. 16 Apr. 2014.
The past decade has seen a proliferation of law enforcement security cameras in public areas, with central London having more cameras than any other city. In cities like New York, Los Angeles, and central London, cameras can be found at almost every intersection. Terrorist attacks have been a major basis for this significant increase in law enforcement security cameras; however, privacy advocates, along with many of the public, feel that it’s an invasion of privacy. People are concerned that all this video surveillance, which is continuously expanding, has created a “Big Brother” society, where people are constantly watched. This creates paranoia and unease for people that just want to go about living there private lives, without feeling that their every move is being watched. The increased presence of surveillance cameras is almost compared to George Orwell’s novel from 1984, where he imagined a future in which people would be monitored and controlled by the government. One question that needs to be asked is: does the benefits of law enforcement security cameras outweigh the negative sides to it? Although the invasion of privacy is a serious argument against law enforcement cameras; nevertheless, it should be seen as a valuable tool to help fight crime. As long as surveillance cameras are in public places and not in people's homes, privacy advocates should not be concerned.
Within the battle against crime, police forces and governments are increasingly using security cameras in public places. Some people are against this, stating that it intrudes on their privacy as citizens. Though individuals have rights as citizens according to our First Amendment there is a serious need to cut down on the amount of crime commented. In this research paper I will discuss security cameras and how they play an enormous role in cracking down on law-breaking. Security cameras have become universal in many countries. Before you could only catch sight of security cameras in banks and at high-security areas, they are now entering public places such as: malls, streets, schools and airports. Most people are offended by these cameras
History has revealed that once these surveillance technologies have been put up, departments can increase the number and quality of cameras without any opposition (Sprigman). And with all of the problems and prejudices that ravage America today, the police and government will be very tempted to put more as a precaution. Right now, there is no clear line between surveillance for protection and American values. But if this continues to get out of hand, surveillance systems might change into something much more sinister. Of course, there are numerous laws and established rules that prohibit audio recording individuals without their permission. But that is just for audio and currently, there are no similar rules for camera surveillance. As time goes by, the amount of public cameras increases and this will also bring minor changes to people’s personality and even characteristics. Similar to any technology that harms privacy, the benefits of deploying public surveillance systems must be accounted for, including the benefits and the costs. The main benefit is that it can prevent petty crimes but the chances are very small. Public surveillance can change people’s experiences and normal behaviors because it has a cold effect on the mass public. This carries a very real danger because anybody could abuse this power and in the long run, would not be able to protect us from very minor crimes, much less any acts of terrorism. Public spaces serves as a macro view but schools are a specific
Video cameras are being deployed around the nation to help with crime solving, but some people are concerned about their privacy. Having cameras to monitor public areas have shown to be useful in situations such as identifying the bombers of the Boston marathon in early 2013. There have also been issues with these cameras however, as people are concerned they are too invasive of their privacy and have been misused by police officers in the past. Some people want to find a balance in using cameras in public so that they can continue to help with crime solving while making sure they are not too invasive and are properly used.
From this perspective, if schools give teens more privacy the student’s will be able to learn more on their own. An article called “School District 's Webcam Surveillance Focus of Suit” by Martha Moore a USA Today publisher on school issues, analyzes how a high school girl was hanging out with her friends and noticed a glowing green light on her computer, which means that the webcam is on either taking pictures or a video. The School District has admitted theft-tracking software which means it takes pictures of the people to know where the computer is at and who has it (Moore 1).This is something that schools shouldn 't be doing no student should be getting pictures of them taken without them knowing. This is going on in and out of the school which takes privacy away from the student in school and out of school and won 't make the students feel right using the laptops to do the work. Students and parents signed a policy acknowledging the school could monitor the laptop 's ' contents and Internet usage. “The policy doesn 't mention the school 's ability to use the webcams, theft-tracking devices that were supposed to be turned on if laptops were reported missing or stolen “(Moore 1). The high school was not even following their own rules and invaded the students’ privacy. This helps to show that teens do need more privacy because schools
The issue of school safety has become a controversial topic in the United States, due to tragic acts of violence occurring on a daily basis. American citizens should never have to cope with the negative impact of school violence, no matter how often they hear about the tragedies (Jones, "Parents" 1). In the past, schools were viewed as a safe place for children to get an education. Recently, the concern over violence in schools has taken a toll on many parents, school administrators, and legislatures (Eckland 1). Studies have shown that there are over 3 million acts of violence in American public schools each year. Not all occurrences are serious and deadly, but they occur on a daily basis throughout our country (Jones, “School” 6). This has caused many parents to worry about the well-being of their children while they are in class. This has also led to an increase in questions and concerns by parents and guardians. Many people have asked, “What are you doing about safety and security on my child’s campus” (Schimke 2). School violence is the cause of elevated worry and fear for their children, and school districts should enforce better security.
Basically security cameras are basically good and bad in all ways due to helping the public and bad for invading peoples privacy daily which would not surprise me that the government is also up to no good doing all of this but if it helps catches people who are hacking computers from other countries then oh well with that stuff. So in all ways they are good and bad for most public areas besides stores and high criminal activity area parking lots for the US otherwise crime will not stop for the people in the US and privacy will keep being invaded as long there is crime.
According to Dinkes et al, security cameras have placed into schools to monitor twenty-eight percent of primary schools, forty-two percent of middle schools, and sixty percent of high schools, Doake, Melissa (2007).
Do teachers change when an administrator evaluates them? Do parents worry too much about their kids being in school? Have many students around the world been falsely accused of something they didn’t do? All of these problems can be eliminated with one little piece of technology hanging from the ceiling. That little piece of technology is a surveillance camera which can be placed almost anywhere. Many schools are determining whether or not to install security cameras in classrooms. Those who have, have seen dramatic changes in teachers, students, and even parents. Cameras have many helpful factors. For instance, cameras can be used to train future teachers, broadcast to students at home, and deal with bullying. Having cameras in a classroom environment are beneficial for students, teachers, parents, and schools because they hold teachers accountable, help students improve their behavior, and evaluate teacher and student interactions.
Violence in schools has spread widely throughout the nation. This has caused many problems among students, families, faculty of schools, and residents of the areas. However, there are many possible ways we can stop all this violence in schools. Almost three-fourths of the United States teens are afraid of violent crime amongst their peers (Apfel 23). Violence in schools has become a big problem in todays society. With all the people being injured or killed in schools by guns and other weapons, more and more people are getting more weapons to bring in to schools. Nearly half of all males and one-third of all students including females said they could easily obtain a handgun if they wanted to (Glazer 14).