Dive Brief:
- Texas state Sen. Eddie Lucio (D-Brownsville) has proposed a bill calling for the installation of video cameras in all enclosed K-12 classrooms where special education students are taught.
- The bill says the recording would be private and saved for one year, and that the cameras would be installed in all public and charter schools. Additionally, all parents would have to be notified and sign on to the camera installation; if one parent objects within 30 days of notification, a camera would not be installed in their child's classroom.
- A similar bill was introduced in 2013 but failed to pass due to privacy concerns from parents and teachers.
Dive Insight:
The purpose of the cameras is to ensure educators are not engaging in illegal or harmful uses of restraint or seclusion — a growing issue that is most prevalent in special education cases. According to Mississippi America Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Jennifer Riley-Colins, disabled students are almost six times as likely to be restrained at school than their non-disabled peers, a fact that is so concerning that, in November, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation awarded the ACLU $350,000 to monitor the disciplining of disabled and minority K-12 students in the state.
In the Texas scenario, there are fears that the video will mistakenly fault educators for by-the-book procedures. For example, Association of Texas Professional Educators lobbyist Monty Exter proposed to a potential situation to ABC in which grainy footage could show what looks like improper use of restraint but isn't.
Then, of course, there are the privacy questions. As special education teacher Richard Wiggins was quoted as asking, "Would doctors or lawyers be okay being subject to constant monitoring all day?"