A Colorado high school is in trouble with some parents.
Windsor Charter Academy’s decision to put cameras in its high school bathrooms is upsetting several parents who argue that the decision violates their children’s right to privacy, KDVR reports.
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Rebecca Teeples, Windsor Charter Academy executive director, claims that the installation improves safety for students and helps to secure the building.
“We had surveillance cameras in our plans from the very start. It was part of the design of the new wing. We want to make sure our students are safe and secure,” Teeples said.
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One parent of three students, Trevor Garrett, said the decision violates students’ right to privacy.
“The first word that comes to mind is ‘disgusting,’ ” Garrett said. “I never thought it would be on anyone’s mind to put cameras in bathrooms anywhere.”
The father added that he is concerned about students who might change in the bathrooms for extracurricular activities.
“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,” he added.
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“It makes me really uncomfortable going in there,” said middle school student Kaylee Garrett.
Teeples explained that the cameras will only be placed in the high school bathrooms because the stalls go from the floor to the ceiling.
“When you have our traditional stalls, as you do in our middle school, you would never put a camera in a bathroom like that,” Teeples said.
Teeples said only school administration and the tech team have access to the footage. She added that the cameras aren’t monitored constantly and the footage will only be viewed if there’s a need to see it.
