Somerville committee reviews Hudl camera impact report for high-school gym; keeps item in committee

Somerville City Councilor Lance Davis, chair of the Committee on Legislative Matters, led a remote discussion on April 1 about a surveillance-technology impact report submitted by Somerville Public Schools seeking permission to install Hudl cameras in the Somerville High School gym.

The report says the cameras are intended “exclusively for coaches as a teaching and learning tool” to let coaches “break down practices, games, and to support student athlete growth and development,” and that “audio recording will be disabled.” Amara Anasike, chief of staff and strategy for Somerville Public Schools, told the committee that Hudl complies with federal privacy laws and that “recordings will only be accessible to authorized Somerville High School coaches through password protected accounts.” Athletics Director Stan Viera added that the tool is “a…