Iowa lawmaker pushes bill to require cameras in classrooms
By Lauren Johnson
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DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — “The inappropriateness of belief that there should be continual videotaping in a classroom is something that should not even be considered,” said Mike Beranek, the president of the Iowa State Education Association.
Iowa educators are expressing concern over a controversial bill at the Statehouse.
The measure calls for cameras to be placed in all Iowa classrooms.
That way parents can see what’s going on at their child’s school.
“I think it continues the parental involvement that has occurred due to COVID,” shared Republican state Rep. Norlin Mommsen who authored the bill.
Some educators fear the cost to install these cameras into classrooms could be pricey.
The bill outlines the school would foot the bill to pay for the new technology.
“Our funding is shrinking, we’re being asked to take more out of that instead of finding more to serve the students we have,” Beranek said.
But Mommsen argues schools could use equipment they already have.
“I will respectfully disagree with them because we already have a system through COVID,” the representative said.
He says using the cameras on teachers’ laptops would be the most cost-effective way to roll out this plan.
Those laptops should be set in the back of the class so the privacy of students can be protected.
But the Iowa State Education Association argues this practice could be too invasive for students and teachers.
“There are federal laws that this bill violates in terms of privacy and the work that our students do in our classrooms,” Beranek said.
If the bill were passed, educators could potentially face fines for not complying with the legislation.
The bill also requires districts to restrict access to live streams to only parents or guardians of students.
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