Parents urge cameras after campus violence, challenge board claims about opposition
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Summary
Parents and community members urged San Ysidro School District trustees to install video cameras on campuses after a nearby stabbing helped identify a suspect with camera footage; speakers said public records contradict a board member's earlier claim that 50 parents opposed cameras and presented a petition of 144 signatures supporting cameras.
Parents and community members pressed the San Ysidro School District board on Dec. 11 to install or expand campus video cameras and to stop using police presence at public meetings to deter participation.
During public comment, Roxanne Palacio said she and other parents asked for the facts after a board member reportedly told the public that "50 parents" opposed campus cameras. "The statement that 50 parents called was not supported by public records," Palacio said, adding that district records she obtained showed eight calls, some only a few seconds long. Palacio said parents had gathered "144 signatures from parents who do want cameras on school campuses."
Karina Robles and other parents described a stabbing at a neighboring district high school and said law enforcement and the Sweetwater Union superintendent credited cameras with identifying the suspect. "Cameras work. They save time, provide evidence, and most importantly, protect students," Robles told the board.
Board president Senayra Rosario responded that state law limits what the district may place in classrooms and that cameras in common areas remain an option. Rosario also commended the rapid response by Sweetwater Union High School District and San Diego police in the recent case, saying the incident was a targeted attack and noting limitations on what local policy can require. "We have a law that prohibits us to have cameras in the classroom," she said.
Speakers pressed two separate but related points: that functional cameras helped with a recent investigation and that the district should be transparent about what community feedback it has received. Parents seeking cameras said public records do not substantiate the larger number of calls opposing cameras that had been cited publicly. Several commenters also criticized the board's use of paid police at meetings, calling it intimidating.
The board did not take a formal vote on a cameras policy during the meeting. Trustees and staff said they would follow state law and existing district policy in any review of safety technologies and noted that some camera placement (front-office, high-traffic areas) is already permitted.