This week, the RJUHSD Technology Department will finish the installation of 27 security cameras on campus. The cameras will be located in highly trafficked, outdoor areas. None will be installed in classrooms.

Administrators will be trained this week to use and access the camera feeds. Principal David Byrd, Youth Services Officer Marc Kelley and RHS’ four assistant principals will be the only people granted access to recorded footage.

Assistant principal Jason Wilson is pleased with the Technology Department’s installation of the cameras so far and reflects that there has not been any negative fallout in the RHS community.

“There’s no fault, there’s no error, there’s no problems with the system. Technology has done a great job of installing it seamlessly without causing any disruption to class or campus, I haven’t heard anything negative from the school or community” Wilson said.

Technology director Tony Ham was in charge of the project and will soon hand off main access to RHS administration once full installation is in place and their training by Ham has been completed.

“Once we have it configured we have little to do with it, within my department it’s just myself and my network engineer so even within IT there’s only two people who have access,” Ham said.

Ham said the cameras were not implemented to be actively monitored, but rather to record events administrators will be able to reflect on when necessary.

“The board and the district administration is really concerned about student privacy. We don’t have a campus monitor sitting at a bank of screens watching students,” Ham said. “The purpose is more for safety and security especially after hours.”

Wilson sees the cameras as a deterrent to be used if necessary rather than a constant eye on student activities.

“If there is damage to the school or if there is a crime that’s committed, we have the ability to access it,” Wilson said. “But I don’t think it’s like people would imagine, we’re not up here just looking at screens.”

The cameras have already been used to clarify events that have occurred on campus since the beginning of the school year. While they are in place to prevent vandalism and other criminal activities after hours when campus monitors are not present, the cameras will also be used to investigate fights that take place within the walls of Roseville High School.

“If something is caught during school hours like a fight they’re going to use it for the investigation,” Ham said.

Bringing cameras to RJUHSD campuses has been a multi-year project in figuring out a budget and building a practical design. RHS follows Oakmont High School as the second high school in the district to receive these security cameras after OHS piloted the project in the previous year. Wilson believes this is a good addition to boost school security.

“Our school site was open to it, we are welcoming it and looking forward to working with it because for a while they have been asked for to keep our campus safe,” Wilson said.

The RHS campus layout required a more strategic placement of the cameras. Oakmont’s installation included 16 cameras while the technology department opted for over 25 for Roseville. Wilson expects that Roseville High School’s size and irregular layout played a role in the placement of more cameras.

“Our campus is so unique that a large number of cameras is necessary,” Wilson said. “It’s not like other schools.”