Student privacy and school cameras: a planning guide
We think staying safe shouldn't mean giving up your privacy.
If your school is thinking about adding camera monitoring, the hard questions are about people and decisions, not hardware. This guide sets out the questions to answer before you start, who should be part of each decision, and how notifications are reviewed.
Start with the problem you're solving
Begin with the everyday moments your staff want to know about sooner: a student who falls, a crowd forming in a hallway, someone in a building after hours. Naming the moments keeps the plan focused on safety, and it gives families a clear answer to the question "why?"
VOLT is built to notice moments: a fall, a possible fight, someone where they shouldn't be.
Questions to ask before using cameras to monitor students
- What moments do we want to know about, and why?
- Which areas will cameras cover? Common areas such as entrances and hallways are different from classrooms.
- Who will receive notifications, and what will they do with them?
- Who reviews a notification before staff act on it?
- How will we explain the plan to students, families and staff, and when?
- What do our district policies and federal student-privacy rules say about school video?
- How will we judge whether it's helping, and when will we review the plan?
Who decides
A camera plan touches several roles. Bring them in early:
- District leadership and the board, for policy and approval.
- The safety or operations lead, for which areas and moments are in scope.
- Principals, for how notifications fit the school day.
- The SRO or campus security lead, where your school has one.
- Legal counsel or the district privacy lead, for policy and records questions.
- Family and staff representatives, for how the plan is explained.
Who is notified
Your school chooses who receives each type of notification. A "Possible fight" notification may go to an assistant principal. A "Person detected after hours" notification may go to the custodial or facilities lead. Keeping the list short and role-based helps the right person respond.
How reviews work
When VOLT notices a moment, it sends a notification such as "Crowd forming" or "Possible fight", with the camera view and the location. Every notification is human verified.
After that, your team decides what to do. Plan a regular review with the people who receive notifications, to check that the right moments are reaching the right people.
What federal guidance says about school video
The U.S. Department of Education's Student Privacy Policy Office publishes FAQs on photos and videos under FERPA. Read the FERPA FAQ on photos and videos with your counsel when you set policy.
Using the cameras you already have
VOLT is built to run on the cameras you already have.
Talk it through with us
Bring these questions to a short walkthrough with your team.