Shocked parents have blasted “ridiculous” plans by school authorities to put CCTV cameras in children’s toilets.
Devon school Axe Valley Academy said it proposed the installation of CCTV cameras in all student toilets to deter vandalism, vaping and fighting.
The headteacher described the controversial move as "a necessary and proportionate response" in a letter sent to parents.
Axe Valley Academy, a secondary school in Axminster, East Devon, said student toilets could soon have CCTV cameras installed, following reports of “poor behaviour” in lavatories.
The concerns, reportedly raised by the student council, included increased "vandalism, vaping and even some fighting in toilets".
A letter sent by headteacher Mrs Laura Jenkins explained that cameras would only be facing the sink area to act as a deterrent against the behaviour of "a small minority", Devon Live reports.
Mrs Jenkins said that "less intrusive measures" had been considered, such as increased staff patrols.
She added: "We do not believe that we can deploy staff in a way that will meet student concerns, although we would like to hear your suggestions for other approaches that we may not have considered.
"The proposal is that the cameras would act as a deterrent and help our students feel safe. We believe that having the cameras is a necessary and proportionate response to the concerns that students have about behaviour in the toilets."
Sophia, a concerned older sibling of a Year 8 student at Axe Valley Academy, described the proposition as "ridiculous" and said the response is "penalising the majority".
Sophia said: "It's a ridiculous proposition to make, considering where we are in the world. We talk about safety for children and we're going to put cameras in the rooms we've always warned them are where to look out for cameras because it's not safe.
"It's a very bare minimum amount of students that are involved in it. Instead of jumping to conclusions of 'let's put cameras in the toilets', why aren't they really looking at their behaviour policy and how they deal with students that are behaving like this?
"As they've written in the letter, a minority of students are causing issues, why are we then penalising the majority that know how to behave by putting cameras in there?
"They said about the patrols they have with their senior management team, why aren't they proactively being in these areas if they know there's an issue with it?"
In the letter, a number of anticipated concerns were addressed by Mrs Jenkins, including the privacy of her students. She assured that cameras would be fixed, unable to pan or track individuals and not pointed at cubicles, urinals or mirrors. The letter also stated that no audio would be recorded, footage will only be accessible to authorised staff and will be deleted after 30 days.
However, Sophia is concerned that the cameras could be moved, thus pointing them toward private areas. She added that, even if they can't be moved, misbehaving students will simply avoid areas that are within view of the cameras.
She said: "As much as they've stated it's a camera that won't be able to be panned, if it's a physical camera they've put up somewhere, if a student is misbehaving manages to move it physically, it's then potentially pointing at, [for example], the gents' urinal toilets.
"If a student wants to hit another student, instead of standing in front of the sinks like they say it's gonna be, they'll take them into a cubicle and hit them in there. They'll know where the cameras are facing and it will do absolutely nothing for them."
Parents are being consulted on the matter before any measures are taken, and have been invited to an in-person consultation next week. Those who are unable to attend were asked to contact the school via phone or email should they have concerns.
In a statement, Mrs Jenkins said: "We have sent an initial letter of consultation today to our parents asking for feedback about changes to CCTV at our school to possibly include fixed cameras facing the sink areas.
"The letter details the consultation plans including the online consultation form and the parent meeting details. Any parent who would like to discuss this further is welcome, as detailed in the letter, to complete the online consultation document, attend the parent meeting or book an individual time to meet with me.
"I am very proud of the students at Axe Valley Academy and will continue to work with our students and families to ensure they have the very best school experiences that we can offer. The consultation has just begun and as such no decision has yet been taken. We will take full account of all views that are expressed."
