By Aaron Kesel
Windsor Charter Academy in Colorado is under fire by parents of students for its decision to install cameras in its high school bathrooms, KDVR Fox reported.
Windsor Charter Academy executive director Rebecca Teeples stated that the installation of cameras “improves safety for students while helping secure the building.”
The stalls in the bathroom go from the floor to the ceiling but many worry that it’s still a violation of privacy to put a camera into a bathroom.
“We had surveillance cameras in our plans from the very start. It was part of the design of the new wing,” Teeples said. “We want to make sure our students are safe and secure.”
Parents are up in arms about the decision which they say violates students’ rights to privacy – “The first word that comes to mind is disgusting,” Trevor Garrett said. “I never thought it would be on anyone’s mind to put cameras in bathrooms anywhere.”
Garrett added that he also worries about students who might get changed in the restrooms for after-school activities or other circumstances where students might be exposed outside of the stalls.
“My gut reaction is, I’m a father, I want to protect my children and I’m going to protect any kids in here,” Garrett said. “I think when we sacrifice privacy for the sake of safety, it’s a very slippery slope.”
“At what point does it cross that threshold and violate rights? I think in this situation this violates rights,” Garrett added.
Garrett’s daughter echoed his statement, saying, “It makes me really uncomfortable going in there.”
Teeples further added that only school administration and the IT team will have access to the footage. As if that makes it any better that anyone will have access to viewing footage of teenagers in a bathroom. What’s more is that Teeples claims that this measure will help “improve safety of students,” when any of these listed school officials can review tapes of these teens in the bathroom.
What’s scary is that this isn’t the first case of such an outrageous privacy invasion; and what’s even crazier is that this was proposed in the very same week on the other side of the pond in the UK as well.
A secondary school at Summerhill school, Kingswinford, West Midlands UK is rethinking a decision to install CCTV cameras after students complained they are scared to go to the bathroom. Although, in this case the cameras are quite literally on the urinals in the boys’ bathroom. Whoever had this idea and thought it was okay should be investigated.
One mother told the Birmingham Mail:
My children have refused to go to the toilet in school; they feel like they are being watched. They said, ‘Can we ring you to take us home to use the toilet?’
Some are saying it’s to prevent bullying, and there’s been vandalism, but surely they can put a prefect on duty in the toilets at break times or a teacher, they don’t have to video children in toilets. A lot of parents are now requesting the footage.
Another mother said:
My son has come back and said he doesn’t want to go to the toilet. It’s shocking, they may have problems going on in the toilets but they can’t do this, surely.
A friend of mine said her daughter came home in tears because she was too scared to use the loo all day and she nearly wet herself in class. It’s so intrusive and creepy.
Five years ago, research by the campaign group Big Brother Watch found that more than 200 schools across Britain used CCTV cameras in students bathrooms or changing rooms, raising the concern about the privacy of schoolchildren, The Guardian reported.
The school officials all argue the cameras are to combat bullying and vandalism, but as Benjamin Franklin said those who give up liberty for security deserve neither.
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. — Benjamin Franklin.
Public school is becoming more and more like a prison in the U.S. and UK; prisoners have a camera on them in the bathroom, not students going to a school of “higher learning” to get an education. This is just more indoctrination to accept the nanny state.
Aaron Kesel writes for Activist Post and is Director of Content for Coinivore. Follow Aaron at Twitter and Steemit.
This article is Creative Commons and can be republished in full with attribution. Like Activist Post on Facebook, subscribe on YouTube, follow on Twitter and at Steemit.
All children’s bathroom video will be live streamed into the teachers lounge for
their amusement and sexual gratification.
This will get better when AI has matured to the point where it can monitor those cameras. Then people will be less and less upset over having cameras watching them everywhere. After all, it’s only a machine watching.. and listening. People will gradually think less about the surveillance and expose themselves and their daily lives carefree in front of the cameras, especially if minor crimes are rarely if ever followed up on. All the while AI is quietly analyzing the data. Analysis results that have consequences. Sometimes maybe just a firing from a job two months later and reassignment to lesser work with accordingly lower carbon credit and food allowance, perhaps the semi-annual mental health evaluation suddenly flags concerns, or perhaps sometimes even a very unfortunate reaction to the monthly vaccination. It must be exhilarating to drive humanity through this technological meat grinder!
AI, and there are people out there that think this is or have anything to do with Intelligence/consciousness, it dont, never have, and never will, its an bucket of transistor’s, period, and the name say it all, artificial intelligence, and thats it.
What is intelligence, huh, IQ get an grip, when the present “science” knows squat about consciousness, they know in fact nothing, other than stupid drivel and to me, this is nothing else than an sales pitch, an catchy phrase, since it handle statistics and can manufacture images, and all that, is not done by the machine, its the program, stupid, nothing else, nada.
I have in fact not read anything so far that makes an impression, I even know the doubling in Quantum bit handling, already, by spin, since matter isnt existing, we have an torque that spins, the atom is stone age, and still, they have no clue about what makes matter, living, nope, nothing, absolutely nothing.
This AI hype is an sci-fi tripping, and thats it.
Has nothing to do with reality.
There is just one universe, just one, but the reality’s comes in buckets, the numbers variate, some say 7 worlds interwoven in our own Earth, others up to 600 or more, take your pick.
Hehe
Its true, I have even experienced, something, somewhere, in the other side,and you are not matter/body, you feel like that, but isnt, just an ball of energy, but hey, we are just. according to the “geniuses” neurons farting, right, dumb as an brick.
peace
Provide one set of toilet for students who want cameras and who have no problem being under “George Orwell’s” 1984 big brother surveillance, And provide another set of toilets for those who want their privacy rights upheld. Simples.
So kiddies, you can always take a can of spray paint into the bathroom with you. Then you can see how often the pedos in your administration are looking at you based on how fast the camera is cleaned.
UM, sir, Dad, they WANT to see your daughter! Haven’t you been seeing in the News, NOT on TVEEEEEEE, though?
Will they installing cameras in the faculty bathrooms as well? If not, why not?
Welcome to liberalism!
This is absolutely disgusting! Want to bet these videos of kids in the bathroom makes it to porn sites on inernet?
Think outside the box you stupid liberal jack-arses. Would you want your child rape, when he or she is yelling for help and no one is hearing them. FOR GODS SAKE THINK.!!!
Giving up Liberty for the illusion of security. It’s all about controlling the masses.
Get your kids out of that prison camp. ASAP.
It is very clear that the school admin are total perverts.
The Religious Right everybody. Pedophiles