‘Overwhelming’ support from parents for cameras in school’s bathrooms
A Palmerston North high school says it has received “overwhelming” support for the installation of cameras in its bathrooms.
Awatapu College recently emailed parents and caregivers a six-page letter outlining its intentions to trial the use of cameras to deter “antisocial incidents”.
The email, sighted by Manawatū Standard, said in October 2023 the school’s Board of Trustees sought feedback on the proposed initiative and received more than 80% support from parents and caregivers.
It said cameras would not be in all bathrooms, and would face communal areas only - meaning there would be none focused on cubicles or dressing areas.
The board believed the use of CCTV would decrease incidents of graffiti, vaping and antisocial behaviour, and it had sought advice from the Privacy Commissioner and Ministry of Education prior to making its decision.
Principal Gary Yeatman said other high schools in the area, including Palmerston North Boys’ High School and Queen Elizabeth College, already had cameras in their bathrooms.
He was unsure what the school had spent on cleaning up vandalism or repairing its bathrooms, but said staff and whānau were largely in support of the trial, which would be reviewed in six months.
“If they [the cameras] don’t do what we hope ... we will have to have a rethink.”
Yeatman said one of the biggest concerns from parents that “kept popping up” was whether or not a student’s privacy would be maintained.
He said the school had completed an assessment using principles from the Privacy Act to ensure the placement of their cameras, and the use of the information collected, was lawful.
This included erasing footage after three weeks, using it only for the purpose it was collected and allowing people to request their personal information.
The school also had long-term plans to build individual toilets, which Yeatman said would solve many of the issues they were having.
In October, a number of schools around New Zealand sought clarity from the privacy commissioner about the use of cameras in their bathrooms.
Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster said many school leaders had asked for their opinion on using CCTV, and bathrooms were sensitive zones.
It was a decision schools needed to make carefully.
“Remember that everyone, regardless of their age, has privacy rights,” he said.
In 2021, Queen Elizabeth College came under fire from parents after it installed a security camera inside a female bathroom that later suffered more than $15,000 worth of damage.
It was installed at the start of a school term, but parents and students said they did not know about it until five days after term began.
One parent told Stuff: “We are not just mad there is a camera in the toilet ... we are mad there was no proper consultation with the school community.”
Principal Chris Moller said at the time the school’s surveillance policy, which stated cameras would be in corridors or outside areas, was under review and would be discussed at a board meeting.
Awatapu College already had cameras outside bathrooms.
The school said it was often hard to identify when the issues were happening and exactly who was responsible.