The following statement on recent legislation filed to require cameras in all Iowa classrooms can be attributed to ACLU of Iowa Executive Director Mark Stringer.
"The ACLU of Iowa believes parents should know what goes on in their kids' classrooms, and that schools are obliged to respect and protect students' rights. The good news is that tradition is alive and well in Iowa. Parental involvement and transparency in curriculum are core values in our public education system, and parents engage every day for the benefit of their kids. This is what oversight and responsiveness looks like, and we see it all over the state.
"For this reason, we are concerned about a recent proposal that would require surveillance cameras in Iowa's classrooms. The privacy implications for children and families are stunning. Additionally, let's be clear: whatever perceived problem this proposal intends to solve, this bill would create a government surveillance program in our state. Iowans are better than this. Our kids deserve a safe environment at school. Parents deserve to know their kids aren’t being watched all day by the government and by anyone else with access to these proposed surveillance videos.
"We will work with anyone to protect the rights of students and parents. Turning schools into government surveillance centers is absolutely and unequivocally a bad idea. The Legislature should never put kids and families in that position."
