Toilet CCTV cameras are not invasion of privacy, says Tiverton High School (From Mid Devon Star)

Toilet CCTV cameras are not invasion of privacy, says Tiverton High School

9:41am Monday 24th September 2012 in News

PARENTS of children at Tiverton High School have been reassured that CCTV cameras in the toilets are not invading students’ privacy.

Alarm bells started ringing last week after civil liberties group Big Brother Watch published a report, based on data which covers 2,000 secondary schools and academies, naming Tiverton High School as one of over 200 schools which use CCTV in their toilets or changing rooms.

In a statement on its website the school said it was “happy to be transparent about all aspects of our school and would like to take this opportunity to clarify the reality of the situation”.

It said cameras overlook the wash basin areas only, not the toilet cubicles, and it does not have cameras in its changing rooms.

The website added that cameras “are there to make students feels safe and are in no way an invasion of privacy”.

The school continued that “nationally students – Year 7 in particular – often report concern about visiting the toilets”, but since the introduction of cameras “incidents of bullying in these areas have dropped to little more than zero”.

Big Brother Watch said it investigated the issue of CCTV cameras in schools because it was concerned about children’s privacy being invaded.

The group claims its report highlights an issue which has not been subject to any real public debate, and it hopes to spark off such a debate by highlighting how many schools use CCTV in their toilets and changing rooms.