Policy 1.2.16 CAMERA SURVEILLANCE

• enhance the safety of students, staff and community members;
• protect school property against vandalism and theft; and
• aid in the identification of intruders and of persons breaking the law.

Institution: is defined in section 2 of the Municipal Act by way of a list of public bodies that are deemed to be institutions and are therefore subject to the Act.  “School Boards” are included in the definition.  Section 2 of the provincial Act states that an “institution” refers to any ministry of the government of Ontario. Therefore, both public and separate school boards, as well as provincial schools, are subject to the Acts.

Personal Information: is defined in section 2 of the Acts as being recorded information about an identifiable individual, which includes, but is not limited to, information relating to an individual’s race, colour, national or ethnic origin, sex and age.  Therefore a simple image on a video surveillance system that is clear enough to identify a person, or the activities in which he or she is engaged in, will be classified as “personal information” under the Acts.

Record: is defined in section 2 of the Acts to mean any information, however recorded, whether in printed form, on film, by electronic means or otherwise, and includes:  a photograph, a film, a microfilm, a videotape, a machine-readable record and any record that is capable of being produced from a machine-readable record.

Video Surveillance System: refers to a video, physical or other mechanical, electronic or digital surveillance system or device than enables continuous or periodic video recording, observing or monitoring of individuals in school buildings and on school premises.  In these Guidelines, the term video surveillance system includes an audio device, thermal imaging technology or any other component associated with recording the image of an individual.

Reception Equipment: refers to the equipment or device used to receive or record the personal information collected through a video surveillance system, including a camera or video monitor or any other video, audio, physical or other mechanical, electronic or digital device.

Storage Device: refers to a videotape, computer disk or drive, CD-ROM, computer chip, or other device used to store the recorded data or visual, audio or other images captured by a video surveillance system.

District School Board Ontario North East is committed to ensuring that their learning spaces and work places are safe and property is protected from vandalism or theft.