CCTV Policy

Purpose

This Policy explains the management, operation and use of the closed circuit television (CCTV) system at Lightning Reef Primary School.

Scope

This policy applies to the installation of CCTV cameras on school grounds and the use and disclosure of any footage produced by those cameras.

This policy is consistent with:

Policy

Schools have an obligation to ensure the school environment is safe and secure, and fulfil duty of care to students, staff and visitors. The CCTV system exists to assist our school to fulfil these obligations and to prevent and manage other inappropriate behaviour on school grounds.

CCTV provides enhanced capability to protect our school’s assets against vandalism and theft. CCTV strengthens our school’s security by providing an appropriate level of surveillance on school grounds and assists our school to take all reasonable steps to prevent reasonably foreseeable harm on school premises (duty of care). The presence of CCTV cameras deters misconduct and inappropriate behaviour and reassures students, staff and visitors that they are protected when on school grounds.

This policy describes how our CCTV system does this, consistent with Victorian privacy law.

Use of CCTV

Consistent with our school’s obligations set out above, Lightning Reef Primary School may use CCTV cameras to:

  • prevent and verify incidents involving
    • criminal behaviour – of anyone on school grounds
    • staff misconduct
    • other inappropriate behaviour – including of students, staff, visitors or members of the public. For example, this means the school may use CCTV footage of incidents to help inform decisions about student management
  • verify other incidents – involving students, staff and visitors (e.g. incidents in which a person has sustained injury, loss or damage on school premises)
  • to provide the principal with visual coverage during emergencies

CCTV cameras are NOT:

  • hidden or covert
  • located in private areas such as toilets, changing rooms or staff rooms
  • used to monitor student or staff work performance

Location of CCTV cameras in our school

In our school, CCTV cameras are located in:

  • school entrances
  • reception
  • court yard
  • outside classrooms
  • playground
  • behind gym

A notice is located near each CCTV camera which alerts people to the presence of the camera and this CCTV Policy.

Access to CCTV footage

CCTV footage is only accessed for the purposes set out in this policy (see ‘Use of CCTV footage’) and only by the following people:

  1. the principal or nominee, including people explicitly authorised by the principal
  2. central and regional Department staff, when required to assist the school for an above purpose
  3. any other people permitted by law.

Showing footage to staff, students and/or their parents involved in incidents

When using CCTV for the purposes listed in this policy under the heading ‘Use of CCTV’ and only when appropriate, the principal may show specific footage of an incident to those directly involved, including relevant staff, students and/or their parents.

This means that any person on school premises may be captured on CCTV footage of an incident that the principal may subsequently show to staff, students and/or their parents.

The school cannot give copies of CCTV footage to staff, students, parents or any other parties. Any requests for a copy of CCTV footage must be made to the Department’s Freedom of Information Unit, as set out below.

Managing and securing the CCTV system

The principal or their nominee is responsible for managing and securing the CCTV system including:

  1. operation of the CCTV system and ensuring it complies with this policy
  2. considering the appropriate location and use of cameras and method for storing CCTV footage
  3. maintaining and upgrading cameras when required.

Ownership of CCTV footage

The Department of Education and Training (the Department) owns our school’s CCTV systems and CCTV footage.

Disclosure of CCTV footage

Our school may only disclose CCTV footage externally (i.e. external to the Department) as described in this policy or otherwise when permitted by law.

Storage of Footage

CCTV footage is kept for no more than 31 days. If our school has not used CCTV footage in any of the ways set out above, and there has been no request to view or access footage during this period, the footage is deleted.

Where CCTV footage has been used to verify an incident or where it is required to be retained for legal reasons, our school will manage and securely retain the footage in accordance with records management requirements as issued by the Public Records Office of Victoria.

Access to information held about you

To access information our school holds about you (on behalf of the Department), including any CCTV footage, please contact:

Freedom of Information Unit

Department of Education and Training

GPO Box 4367

MELBOURNE VIC 3001

Email: foi@edumail.vic.gov.au

Further information and resources

Review period

This policy was approved by School Council on 19/11/20, last updated on 4/11/2020 and is scheduled for review on November 2023.