36 Security Cameras Installed at Pyle Middle School in Bethesda

Pyle, last MCPS middle school to receive security cameras

Independent contractors installed 36 cameras at Pyle this summer as part of the capitol improvement plan to assist employees. 

Some Pyle students said they think the cameras are intended to prevent  incidents, like last year’s sexting scandal, from occurring in the future. Seventh grade student Emma Wesley said she isn’t fully comfortable with the idea of having cameras throughout Pyle.

“Everyone feels a little uneasy, as if someone is always watching them and every move of theirs is being recorded,” Wesley said.

But principal Jennifer Webster said the cameras will be beneficial for the school.

“In every situation, you get multiple different versions of the truth from different people, and having the video helps sort out the fact,” Webster said. “They can help us solve even the smallest of problems, like retrieving students’ iPods and wallets that get stolen from classrooms.”

Note to readers: Did the Board of Education ever vote to install security cameras inside school buildings? Was this $23 million (+/-) purchase ever put out for a competitive bid?  
Answer to both questions is no. 


You can read more about this major purchase made without public input here.