With the constant need to get Starbucks during school, newly licensed students have begun to endure the consequences of our upgraded security systems. Students have been noticing the new camera installation, but there was also a full security system upgrade.
“It’s something the district has done for us,” Associate Principal DJ Hill said. “It’s been useful for things like car accidents and vandalism on campus. Sometimes on the weekend people that aren’t even students come in and vandalize the campus.”
The school can then give the footage to the police and make sure that the damage to campus is paid for.
It’s not necessarily the cameras being better, but rather the functioning of the computers. In fact, the cameras were installed several years ago and the new system was a software update that is done regularly at PVHS.
“One of the things that has just been updated was the computer we have,” Hill said as he pointed to the screen in his office. There is also another screen in Officer Watt’s office. “The footage runs really smoothly. It’s easier to navigate and go back and forth.”
The intention of upgrading the system was focused on the students’ safety, not to seek out kids picking up their McDonald’s.
“The number one benefit we get from this is safety,” Hill said.” We want to make sure that if there’s someone on campus that shouldn’t be on campus, we’re aware of it right away. We’re making sure that people are aware that this is a monitored campus. You can’t be breaking the rules, bringing something that you’re not supposed to, those kinds of things.”
“We didn’t upgrade the system to catch the students, we did it for the open campus to be safe, but now that kids are leaving we’re using it,” campus supervisor “Coach” Mauricio Peña said.
There is a tedious protocol that is taken when a student is caught getting in their car.
“It happens everyday, all the time,” Coach said. “We’re very familiar with the same kids, same period.”
If a student is caught they are either sent back to class or sent straight to the office.
“Right now there’s no warnings. They should know by now that we’re not playing with this, we got a little more serious with this,” Coach added.
“I think for the most part Sea Kings do a great job about going to class,” Hill said. He noted that the cameras do help monitor kids, but students should still avoid ditching class regardless of cameras.