The privacy and policy of CCTV use in schools
Security cameras or closed-circuit television (CCTV) are commonly installed on school grounds and classrooms to address vandalism and individual safety issues.
Here are some considerations for your board when deciding whether to introduce CCTV or review what is already in place.
What do you need to consider?
When your board is looking at introducing this technology, here are some things to consider:
- Why does the school want to use this technology?
- Will this technology address the identified problems?
- How will the system be operated?
- Initial and ongoing costs
- Privacy impact assessment – is there one?
- Board policy and school procedures
- Community consultation: about introducing the technology / ongoing
- Does your board need technical and legal advice to make informed decisions?
What are the possible privacy implications?
The Privacy Act 2020open_in_new introduces greater responsibilities and risks for boards in managing privacy in schools.
Privacy considerations for the board include the following:
- What information will be collected and why?
- How will staff, students, and visitors know the information is being collected?
- What safeguards are needed to ensure only information from within school grounds will be collected?
- Once collected, will the information be secure?
- Who will have access to the information?
- How long will the information be stored?
- How will your board and school ensure the information is only used for the purpose of collecting it – unless an exception applies (such as possible criminal activity being identified)?
What policy do you need?
Board policy about the school's security cameras should include your board's expectations.
The principal then applies those expectations when developing board procedures.
Policy expectations and procedures could include the following:
Visible notices about the presence of cameras (the procedure could also set out where the cameras are to be placed such as in classrooms, public areas, and areas of the grounds as decided by the principal).
Regular communications to the school and school community about:
- Why the information is being collected (the procedure could then set out the reasons, like ensuring safe teaching practice and identifying student bullying behaviour and vandalism).
- Confirmation that the information collected can only be used for those stated purposes.
- Who will be able to see the information (the procedure could specify which authorised staff can view the information).
- How the information is stored and how long the information is kept. (It should not be kept for longer than it needs to be in terms of the reason it was initially collected).
- The communication could also say when the information might be shared with others (such as the police).
Note: This policy meets the criteria for a by-law, so boards must consult with their school community when making or reviewing the policy.
Please get in touch with us for advice if you need help with your policy.
Questions your board could ask
- Do we have a policy in place for the use of CCTV in our school?
- If creating or reviewing a policy, have we planned our community consultation?
Templates, resources, and references
Click on the link(s) below to access the templates, resources, and references related to this topic.
These may download or open in a separate browser depending on your device.
Privacy Commissioner
- Board of Trustees and privacyopen_in_new
- Privacy and CCTVopen_in_new
- CCTV and school bathroomsopen_in_new
- Sharing informationopen_in_new