The installation of video surveillance systems in children’s schools is emerging as an extra that offers parents safety and a possibly cheap, legal, easy and effective to keep in touch with their children in a fast and direct way. The use that parents often do the system is usually limited to the early days, only after used anecdotally, because parents are not interested in both “see the child” as fact “being able to see it”.
The school always free of charge parents for this service, so that, if it does, quickly amortize the initial investment, the average price amounts to about 2,000 euro. In addition, this system provides to schools added value, since it allows you to do security control features centralized around the Center from an office and connect to anywhere in the world with access to Internet.
Legality of use of webcam in children’s schools
Video surveillance cameras in children’s schools are legal, and will not threaten the integrity of the child. These are its basic specifications:
- Its use is not universal but restricted to parents or guardians with keys and custom passwords.
- The legitimate object is the moral certainty of the tutor on the control and safety of the child.
- The images should fit the purposes of safety and control system. These are not suitable for the visualization of details (thus achieving the so-called “dissociation procedure” that the law requires) or for recording. This way a later manipulation is avoided with ends that could commit an outrage against the morality.
Advantages for advocates of webcams in kindergartens
- Transmission in real time what happens in the classroom. The parents have a username and password to access these images and their use is restricted only to them.
- The cameras do not record. You can only display images in real time.
- Closeness and tranquility. Envision what children are doing at any time of the day during their stay in the nursery makes parents feel closer to them and dispel concerns.
- Transparency in treatment and education. For many parents to see “a hole” what their children are doing at every moment and see what are good, they are treating them well and people in charge are behaving with their children as they like is a source of satisfaction and tranquility.
- Privacy. Areas such as toilets or changing areas are beyond the control of the camera. Preserving privacy is also very important for parents.
Drawbacks for opponents of webcams in schools
- Vulnerability to hackers. Although cameras do not record, the parents do not rely on what a sick mind could do with the images in case of gaining access to them.
- Contempt for the work of the teacher. The daily display of classes of children raises the critical gaze of the parents, who can question the good one to do the teacher at all times.
- Overprotected children. To know at all times how the social relations of the children work in group can encourage certain protectionism attitudes between the parents.
