CCTV use in schools criticised [IrishTimes]
- Published: 30 May 2011
A secondary school in Co Kildare was ordered to remove monitoring cameras from student toilets after parents made a complaint to the Data Protection Commissioner.
The case is outlined in the commissioner's annual report for 2010, published today. It notes that use of CCTV continues to give rise to regular complaints.
Cameras were installed in the student toilets, and the students “objected to this intrusiveness”, the report says. “When their concerns were dismissed, they walked out of the school in protest.” As the cameras were operating in contravention of the Data Protection Acts, the commissioner ordered their immediate removal.
Separately, a primary school in Co Mayo deployed CCTV cameras both inside and outside the premises. The commissioner said that in this case, the school installed the system “without considering the issues it raised and without developing policies to address those issues”. Parents were “justifiably concerned” and made representations to the commissioner's office.
“Our investigation revealed that the requirements of the Data Protection Acts had not been met, and we ordered the system to be switched off,” the report said.
A number of schools were targeted for audits last year, usually in response to complaints about CCTV.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
