Chico Unified board agrees to discuss proposed Verkada surveillance contract after public outcry

The Chico Unified School District Board on Wednesday voted 5–0 to put a detailed discussion of a proposed camera and video surveillance contract with Riverside Technologies and Verkada on the agenda for the next regular meeting.

Board member Landau moved to suspend the regular order of business and agendize item 4a — described on the consent calendar as a "camera and video surveillance system refresh" using Verkada technology — and Member Hayes seconded. The motion carried unanimously after board roll call.

The vote followed more than an hour of public comment from students, teachers and parents who asked the board to pause and provide greater transparency about the contract, which speakers said was listed only as a quote on the consent calendar and lacked clear information about cost, data handling and whether facial-recognition or other biometric features would be used.

"What is wrong with our current surveillance system? What makes this project a top priority over other issues on my campus?" asked Oscar Bergman, who identified himself as a senior at Chico High. "We expected an explanation for this decision. We were not given one." (Oscar Bergman)

Several teachers and parents described publicly reported controversies involving Verkada, including employee misconduct allegations and past security breaches, and urged the district to reconsider or to convene a formal, Brown Act–compliant committee including parents, teachers, students and a board member.

"Placing high-profile or controversial items on a consent agenda undermines the transparency required by the Brown Act," said Mark Hesser, a science teacher at Chico High, who asked the board to rescind the contract and form a committee to review emerging technology before decisions are finalized. (Mark Hesser)

Parent Alyssa Kissling summarized reports of past Verkada security incidents and said the company had faced hacking incidents that exposed customer camera feeds and required regulatory action. "This is the company you want to entrust with our children's safety?" she asked. (Alyssa Kissling)

District staff said they would attempt to secure a company representative for the February 18 meeting, and the superintendent said the regular meeting agenda would be published the Friday beforehand so stakeholders could confirm the item and sign up for comment. The board did not vote on the underlying contract Wednesday; the action taken was to place a full discussion of the contract on a future meeting agenda.

Board President (speaker 1) and the superintendent emphasized the district's intent to hear community concerns and to provide additional details at the scheduled meeting. The board’s next steps include posting the agenda, confirming whether Riverside Technologies or a Verkada representative can attend, and holding the agendized discussion at the regular meeting.

The consent calendar vote earlier in the evening — separate from the Verkada motion — also passed 5–0.