FILE:  EBCB

Cf:  IDDFC

VIDEO/AUDIO MONITORING OF SCHOOL BOARD PROPERTY

The Lafayette Parish School Board shall authorize the use of School Board owned and/or installed video and audio cameras on any School Board property, buildings, or facilities and/or vehicles in an effort to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of all staff, students, and visitors to the school, and to safeguard School Board facilities and equipment.

The School Board shall notify employees, students, and/or visitors through appropriate methods that video monitoring/surveillance may occur on School Board property, in buildings and facilities, as well as campuses, parking lots, and school grounds belonging to, leased, or used by the School Board, or on any vehicle owned, leased, or used to transport students or for conduction of School Board business, or at any school sponsored event, activity, or function.

Notification shall also include the erection of clearly marked, written signs prominently displayed near the main entrance of school buildings, School Board property and facilities.

INSTALLATION AND OPERATION OF EQUIPMENT

Video and audio cameras may be installed in identified public areas where monitoring/surveillance is deemed necessary as determined by the Superintendent or his/her designee, but placement shall not be allowed where students, employees, or the public has a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as inside locker rooms and adult and student restrooms.

Monitor/surveillance equipment installed in outdoor areas shall monitor only those areas designated and shall not be directed to look through windows of adjacent buildings or onto adjacent property, whenever possible.  Video monitors (reception equipment) shall be located in strictly controlled access areas.  Only authorized and designated personnel shall have access to the reception equipment and area and monitors shall not be located as to permit public viewing.

The use of video and audio monitoring/surveillance equipment on school grounds shall be supervised and controlled by the building administrator and/or his/her designee, in conjunction with the Superintendent and/or his/her designee.  Video recordings made at the schools or other facilities shall be maintained by the building administrator.  Video monitoring/surveillance equipment shall be operated on a twenty-four (24) hour, seven (7) day a week basis.

Staff personnel permitted access to the video and audio monitoring/surveillance system and equipment shall be required to follow all operational regulations and procedures developed in accordance with this policy.  Staff and students shall be prohibited from unauthorized use, tampering with, or otherwise interfering with the placement or operations of the video and audio monitoring/surveillance equipment and system and shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary action including termination or expulsion.

The School Board shall provide reasonable safeguards, including but not limited to, password protection, network security, and control of physical access to protect the monitor/surveillance systems from vandals and unauthorized users.  Proper training shall be provided for authorized users.

VIDEO/AUDIO RECORDINGS

Recordings made through the School Board’s video/audio monitoring/surveillance system shall be confidential.  The video recordings may only be viewed by the Superintendent and/or his/her designees.  In the event a video recording reveals activity the Superintendent believes violates School Board policies or state or federal law, the Superintendent may turn over such video recordings to applicable law enforcement authorities.  Individual(s) on such video recording who are violating statute or School Board policy shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary action.

Video and audio recordings shall be retained by the School Board for no less than thirty (30) days and no more than ninety (90) days, provided that the recordings may be kept for a longer period if the recordings reveal activity the Superintendent believes violates School Board policies or state or federal law.  Video and audio recordings not retained for more than ninety (90) days shall have their images erased or taped over.

The Superintendent or his/her designee shall take steps as deemed appropriate to prevent unauthorized persons from accessing the recordings.  Video/audio recordings (tapes or other storage devices) shall be stored in a secure, locked location in a controlled access area at the school or facility where maintained that will also protect the recordings from damage by fire or water.  Each storage device shall be dated and labeled, whenever possible.  Access to storage devices shall be limited to authorized, designated personnel only.

The School Board shall take precautions to ensure that student privacy shall be protected.  Viewings of the recordings shall be limited to the appropriate school officials, law enforcement officials investigating an incident, and, upon request, a bona fide news gathering organization covering an incident, and the parent or legal guardian of a recorded student if there was an incident involving that student.

The Superintendent shall set and maintain procedures regarding the requests to review recordings by parents/legal guardians or bona fide news gathering organizations.

A log shall be maintained that provides details of all access to, and use (viewing) of any recorded material.

Video recordings may become a part of a student’s educational record or employee’s personnel file.  The School Board shall comply with all applicable state and federal laws and School Board policies related to the recording’s maintenance and retention.

Video/audio recordings may be copied, distributed to, and viewed by public safety agencies, School Board safety and security personnel, the parish District Attorney, and/or appropriate law enforcement personnel, when approved by the Superintendent or his/her designee, or when subpoenaed for any court proceedings.  Video recordings shall not be viewed by, copied, or released to any other person or agencies not referenced above except when specifically authorized by the Superintendent.

The provisions of this policy shall not affect a parent’s or legal guardian’s right to access video recordings from cameras in special education classrooms pursuant to La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §17:1948.

ACCESS TO PERSONAL INFORMATION

Generally, video and audio recordings made through the School Board’s video monitoring/surveillance system shall not be considered public record.  Access, however, to personal information contained in any recordings may be granted in whole or in part to an individual upon submission of a properly executed subpoena.

The School Board’s surveillance and security video recordings shall not be considered “personally identifiable information” as defined by La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §17:3914.

Adopted:  November 4, 2015

Revised:  September 13, 2023

Ref:    La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §17:81, 17:3914, 44:3.1.1

Board minutes, 11-4-15, 9-13-23

Lafayette Parish School Board