Conference held on Springfield Public Schools cameras and police surveillance

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) – Important questions and conversations were shared by people in the Springfield Public Schools community Thursday evening.

The subject: the district giving Springfield police access to surveillance cameras in its schools.

Page Monroe, mother of a school committee member, was among those concerned about the policy.

“We thought the police have cameras in the school so they can target certain students.”

The department gained access to the video in April 2021, with the aim of ensuring safety for employees and students.

For three and a half years, many worried that cameras were following their every move. Law enforcement and county officials denied looking at the people in the building.

“We don’t want to see you (or) livestream you. We don’t want to look inside the schools. My officers, unless they are SROs, and you know most of them, we have nothing to do with your school,” stated Police Chief Larry Akers.

This all comes after the shooting incident at Sci-Tech earlier this year and a bomb threat at Chestnut Middle School last month.

While Springfield Honors Academy senior Naomi Edwards understands that, another issue is bothering her: a lack of communication.

“I didn’t know anything about it as a student, my parents didn’t know about it, my teachers didn’t know about it. It just wasn’t very transparent,” she claimed.

Her point has been echoed in the past by some policy protesters, who said the commission made this decision without community input.

For Edwards, she wants that to change.

“I would like to have some students meet with Superintendent Akers and Dr. Sonia Dinnall. I really want to get this resolved before I graduate,” she emphasizes.

After an evening of discussion, Monroe said she supports the camera policy, but will also always listen to what students and staff have to say.

“We need a better understanding of what is really going on with the situation because they are not going to leave it alone until they find out what is really going on in this situation.”

The Springfield Public Schools Committee will hold another forum on the topic on December 12 at Brightwood-Lincoln School.