Reply to Sentinel Article : New MCPS AI security cameras are being installed in schools

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[quote=Anonymous]As a parent with kids in MCPS schools, I've been watching the news about the AI cameras being piloted in some of our high schools and honestly I'm a little creeped out

Students seem to feel that way too  — the Montgomery County Sentinel ran a piece yesterday quoting students pushing back because they feel surveilled in their own hallways. https://www.thesentinel.com/communities/new-mcps-ai-security-cameras-are-being-installed-in-schools/article_2c7bdd30-8fc8-4512-82b7-175b5d5f61ac.html

But beyond privacy, AI gets things wrong in ways that can be genuinely traumatic. Just last fall, a student at a Baltimore County high school was surrounded by eight police cars, forced to his knees, and handcuffed — because the AI mistook a crumpled bag of Doritos for a gun. A bag of chips. That happened here in Maryland. https://www.wbaltv.com/article/student-handcuffed-ai-system-mistook-bag-chips-weapon/69114601

So, why did MCPS pick this pilot program less than 3 months later?  Is that really the best option for school safety?

About a month ago the MoCo Show covered how students at Sherwood HS traveled to Capitol Hill to advocate for Alyssa's Law — legislation that would connect schools directly to law enforcement through silent panic alarms. Ten states have passed it. Maryland hasn't. And as far as I can tell, none of our major districts have adopted wearable panic buttons for staff, which let teachers quietly call for help if they see something, whether it's a threat, a medical emergency, anything.

Cameras that watch hallways — and apparently can't tell a Doritos bag from a firearm — aren't the same as giving teachers an actual tool to get help.

And with budgets tightening across the district, I think that its pretty important to ask if  AI surveillance is the best use of our school funds.

Curious if other MCPS parents are thinking about this too.[/quote]

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