Finance committee approves Meraki cameras, switches funded by PCCD grant

The East Stroudsburg Area School District Finance Committee on May 12 approved the purchase of 56 Cisco Meraki security cameras with 10-year licenses and four Cisco Power over Ethernet switches to support additional cameras, funded through a Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) grant.

The purchases were described by Brian, staff member, as intended to address “Pennsylvania's level 1 physical security baseline criteria” after gaps were identified in recent threat assessments. “Both of those are fully funded through the PCCD grant,” Brian said during the meeting.

The committee discussed details of placement and scope. Brian said the cameras respond to a threat-assessment review led by Chief Mill, school police officers and building principals and are intended to fill “some areas in needed cameras.” He noted the equipment will be distributed across multiple schools: “It's 56, but there's 10 schools,” Brian said, adding there will be “a handful per school just to kind of fill in some gaps.”

Board member Bridal Borish asked whether the cameras are primarily interior; Brian replied the package is a split of exterior and interior models and pointed trustees to the quote in the board packet for a detailed breakout. When a board member asked whether the cameras will address known blind spots at North High School, Brian said that was the understanding from the threat assessment.

The committee moved and approved the pair of related items (the switches and the cameras/licenses); the committee recorded the approvals and the items will proceed to the full board as applicable. Meeting discussion also noted the district will not publish exact camera placement in public backup materials because the purchases are tied to school safety.

Clarifying details recorded in the meeting included the PCCD grant covering the camera package and licenses and an additional line item for switches; the transcript includes the amounts discussed (a $98,000 grant line was referenced alongside an additional $46,005.24 for switches), though committee speakers also referenced different model counts during discussion. The transcript contained inconsistent counts when participants referred to exterior/interior breakdowns (one exchange mentioned “72” exterior models and elsewhere “21 exterior and 35 interior”); the committee indicated it would provide detailed, nonpublic breakout (to Dr. Vitale and board members or in executive session) rather than include it in public backup.

The committee recorded no changes to policy or new legal authorities; the purchases were described as grant-funded procurements that follow the district procurement process. The district indicated staff will provide the nonpublic, school-by-school camera breakout to trustees in executive session or via secure distribution.

The committee approved the procurement motions and voted to move them forward for implementation.