Should schools be using CCTV?

FIVE schools have been issued with a formal warning from France's privacy watchdog, CNIL, over their "excessive" use of videosurveillance.

Are the privacy concerns justified - or is videosurveillance important to protect children?

Connexion newsletter readers reply:

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I would be thrilled to have a CCTV camera in a play room at my children's school - there is often no supervision in this so-called "ball room" where children kick balls around. From the age of four to six, my smaller son was frequently hauled by bullies into this room in order to beat him up.

Conferences with the head of the school brought no relief. My husband and I suggested that the room be locked when no supervisor was available; we suggested a webcam. Nothing was done. The head mistress insisted that they were just "playing" and there was no problem with the bullies' behavior even though French children also complained about the ringleader's behavior.

The years of torment were finally brought to an end when the ringleader bully slammed my son to the ground in front of the head mistress and the entire class. When we picked our son up from school and were horrified to see a huge bump on his forehead we were told again that they were "just playing"; however, there were too many witnesses this time and the behavior finally stopped. Bring on the CCTV cameras in unsupervised areas!

Susan Young

Neither children nor adults have any ‘right to privacy’ when they are at within school grounds (except, of course, in places like toilets and confidential meeting rooms).

If they don’t break France’s laws or engage in any other sort of undesirable behaviour, they won’t have anything to worry about, will they? Precisely what the surveillance system is put in place to achieve!

Same for us all when we’re out in public places! Totally outrageous to concern ourselves with what children like or don’t like!

Rowland Behn