Officials at San Benito High School District want to use
security cameras to lessen vandalism and increase safety on
campus
– but only if the price tag isn’t too steep.
Hollister – Officials at San Benito High School District want to use security cameras to lessen vandalism and increase safety on campus – but only if the price tag isn’t too steep.
Trustees for the San Benito High School District voted 3-1 during a board meeting Wednesday night to begin accepting bids on the installation of 12 digital security cameras as part of the School Wide Safety Plan implemented in August. Board member Bill Tiffany was the opposing vote.
There are currently no functioning cameras on campus, but administration officials say they want to bring them back. The cameras would be placed in public spots such as hallways, the library and outside areas, at an estimated cost of $50,000 to 80,000.
“The community has had a lot of problems with vandalism and we are just looking to preserve the overall safety of the school,” said Jean Burns Slater, superintendent of the district.
Hollister Police Department responded to 13 incidents of vandalism on campus since September of last year. However, administration officials said the school does not always call the police.
Some students have responded negatively to the idea of cameras, especially during school hours, saying they are unnecessary and will invade privacy, even if they are not placed in bathrooms or locker rooms.
“I don’t see a point in doing this,” said Rachel Schlie, a junior at the school. “If we come here on the weekends and the cameras are there, we might get a detention.”
Nights and weekends are precisely when much of the vandalism takes place, but only rarely are violators apprehended, said Steve Delay, director of fiscal services at the district.
Before the start of the new school year as many as six walls were vandalized and it took janitors 24 hours and a couple of gallons of paint to clean up the mess, said Delay. The estimated price tag of the project? About $600. Occasionally, students are caught and forced to clean up the graffiti or pay a restitution, but even if offenders are caught, they seldom have the money to pay for the damage they’ve done.
The school board still doesn’t know the exact location of the cameras or where the money will come from, but several options are available. One possible source of money is reserve funds, money that is ear-marked for special projects that are not anticipated. Another option is taking it out of the ending balance – money that is left over at the end of the year – and another, more drastic measure, is making cuts in the budget.
But the entire project may be rejected if, after receiving bids, the district decides the cameras cost too much money, said board President Shelley Donati.
“The only commitment we’ve made so far is to go to bid and we will be making a decision after getting all of our questions answered,” she said.
After bids are made and public notices posted, the school board will accept comments from the public and vote on the project, something that will probably not happen until January, said Delay.
Other aspects of the School Wide Safety Plan include the use of drug-sniffing dogs, harassment training for teachers and students and a school resource officer.
Parents have not been notified of the proposal and will likely only find out if and when the board posts public notice about it. But those interviewed by The Free Lance, said they thought the camera were a good tool for providing safety for their children.
“It catches the people who are doing something wrong while keeping an eye on the kids,” said Judy Davis, whose daughter is a student at San Benito High School.
Karina Ioffee covers education for the Hollister Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566 ext. 335 or [email protected]
