MCPS Video Retention Policies Need to be Changed

 From parent AJ Campbell:

Over the summer, a week before school started, my daughter and I had a conversation in the hallway at my daughter’s High School. I was told by my daughter's counselor that a teacher had chosen to revise a grade based on their recommendation. The moment was recorded by the bank of video cameras that we, as taxpayers, paid for. 

A month later, the grade remained the same. It was as though the conversation never happened.  Although my daughter stood right by me and heard the same thing, I got endless comments from staff saying that I was not telling the truth.  

I said, just pull up the video and show me.  

My repeated requests to view the video were ignored. Montgomery Blair staff did not provide me the relevant form, nor was any policy explained to me. As a parent of a student, I am one of the “authorized” persons that can view specific video. I knew the date, time, and exact location. There would have been no trouble locating the video file.  

MCPS staff at Montgomery Blair High School should have directed me to fill out: MCPS Form 236-12, Request to View MCPS Security Camera Video. But my begging and pleading were ignored by MCPS school staff, and administrators produced no results or even the form.  

My suspicions were confirmed when MCPS sent me a letter responding to my Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) request to watch the video. The response that I got back was chilling.  MCPS created an internal policy that deletes video after 22 days at all high schools for all the money we have heaped into school security.  

I'm sorry, I must have just hallucinated for a second….

What do you mean MCPS deletes hallway video after 22 days? We don’t use videotapes; we don’t have a storage issue anymore. Video storage is cheap, and given the number of online content files and records, storing video files should be easy. Deleting the files would cause more trouble than storage.

So, why would MCPS delete security videos?

MCPS is aware of the value of the video files, as stated in the official policy, directed in Retention and Disclosure of MCPS Video Records ( EGF-RB):

“Video footage recorded by MCPS security cameras may depict misconduct, a serious incident, and criminal conduct on MCPS property, including a school bus. As a general matter, no student, staff member, or visitor…”

The files are valuable in prosecution but also in exoneration.  For example, if someone were accused of being involved in an incident, the video might show that they were in another location.  

An accused person could also use the video files to demonstrate a pattern of behavior over time for staff, students, or visitors. Still, without the video, it is impossible to do this. If an incident is the only instance where a video is exported, reviewed, or retained, then video footage could be lost due to this policy.

The policy is to “export” the video if there has been an incident. In this case, export means to generate a video file and retain it electronically. The exported video is then retained for 180 days before it is deleted.  Again, it is not clear why the video of an incident would be deleted at all.  

If the video is requested by law enforcement, MCPS gives the police a copy of the file, then deletes the original.  MCPS can provide a copy to the police without the deletion of the file. It takes more work to delete the file and wipe the backup drives than to just retain the file, which causes no work.

The policy document (EGF-RB) does not specify how many days MCPS should retain the video files before they are deleted if they are not “exported.”  If another document specifies the number of days video files are kept, I have not discovered that information.  

When I directed my question to the Board of Education Ombudsman, there was no response to the message. It is difficult then to determine why this policy has been enacted, and under what policy document MCPS has this authority. I have also asked members of the school board through social media, but those questions were unanswered. As a taxpayer, I would like to know the business case for deleting the Is, video, and as a mom, I would like to see how this policy protects our kids.  

I have tried to get answers from MCPS but no one wants to talk. It is clear to me that the policy needs to change and a longer retention policy be created.