As Page High school welcomes new students to the school year, they also welcome new cameras! With over 200 cameras surrounding the inside and outside of the school walls, Page has surveillance like never before. However it isn’t just Page getting new security, it’s the whole district that received this new software. Page was just one of the first to actually be given them!
The leading purpose for the cameras is to enhance the safety of the students and staff from the moment they walk into the school to the moment they walk out. Principal Naglee made note of how much he values the security of everyone within the school and how he thinks having these cameras is a huge component for maintaining this goal. “It helps us sort of monitor all the different areas whether it be during the school days or whether it be during sporting events.”
The cameras are also expected to help improve the amount of bad behavior happening inside and during class time. “We’re able to look at the cameras on their phones, walking down the hallways or on laptops or computers, so it’s definitely another set of eyes.” The cameras also offer the ability to play back unlimited amounts of times. Principal Naglee says, “If I know something happened yesterday but I just found out about it today, I can put it on playback mode and go back and rewind it.” The cameras are also able to recognize and track the movements of people throughout the building. This allows administration to know where the person had been all day and gives them an opportunity to identify what happened where. As there are no cameras in the bathrooms or classrooms, there are ones just outside. This gives administration the capability to track who goes in and who goes out and it ultimately shows who was in there for an excessive amount of time. This also allows for them to see the consistency of certain students and to make sure people are rightly using the bathrooms while also getting back to class on time.
So with administration and staff liking and adjusting to this new reality tv show like world, how do the students feel about the addition? I spoke to a few returning Page students as well as a couple of newcomers. A current junior, Natalie Scott says that she personally thinks the cameras are a good idea but that sometimes she feels watched. “I understand the purpose of it all and I think it’s smart for the school’s safety but sometimes it’s a little creepy. Everywhere I go there’s a camera.” Another returning pirate had this to say, “The cameras offer a great sense of protection and it’s nice to go to the bathroom during class and not see so many people out there smoking and vaping.” This student thinks that having the cameras cuts down on the amount of people being out and skipping during class which makes it easier to use the bathroom and get back into class faster. I also spoke to one of our freshman who, to him, these new cameras are just another part of this new school he’s beginning to adjust to. “I honestly don’t really notice them because I’m too busy trying to get to class but I guess they make the school safer. I think that the amount is a little scary but sometimes I kind of forget that they’re there anyway.”
So overall this new advancement has proven to catch the attention of most students and with most agreeing to the meaning behind them, others can’t help but feel a little bit watched. Of course we are so grateful for the protection and certainty Page is giving both us students and staff and it’s comforting knowing that there are eyes everywhere to keep us safe. We thank the district for their support and for giving ours and many other schools this new monitoring system!
