Bullying is a real problem in society. Even though a lot has been talked about in recent years, a lot of school and teachers ignore the issue that is right there under their noses. They pretend that it isn’t as big of a problem as it actually is.
Sometimes, that’s not the issue. Some schools have so many students that it’s impossible for the staff to keep up. Overloaded teachers aren’t able to stop every bully that happens in school grounds. Other times, the problem could be with the staff. It is rare, but there are cases in which teachers and school staff have acted inappropriately with students.
Whatever the situation may be, you’ll wonder, can my child wear a body cam to school? Legally speaking no. Your child cannot wear a body cam to school because you’d have to ask for the consent of everyone involved in the footage that the camera will produce. This means the school administration, teachers, and other kids’ parents.
When you think that there would be a lot of underaged kids in the footage, you’d have to involve all the parents. It’d be a lawsuit waiting to happen. Now, as much as this is all true, you don’t need to freak out and believe that there’s no solution to your problem.
You can still go ahead and do it anyway. It’s just important that you’re aware of it, so you know the problems that might come your way in the future. So, without further ado, you can read below everything that you need to know about making your child wear a body cam.
If you’ll do it at the end of the day, it’s better that you do it right. Make sure that no one notices what you’re doing.
The Hidden Cam Might Still Be A Good Idea
As you know now, you can get caught doing this. It might give the school grounds to expel your kid and maybe even sue you. The best thing that you should do in an ideal world is to ask permission from the school. But they will certainly not give it to you, so you probably shouldn’t bother with it.
If you still judge the situation as necessary, you can still make use of body cams for kids. You should look for models that will allow discretion and the camera to go by hidden. If your child is spotted wearing a body cam that wasn’t previously allowed, you would have problems with the school administration and the school board.
So, the best that you can do here is to judge the situation to make sure that the camera is your last alternative. If you have other ways to sort out whatever problem your kid is facing at the school in this particular moment, they might be better ideas than this one. If you want a great model for kid’s body cam is the NIYPS spy camera. (Click Here to get the latest info)
The School Won’t Give You Permission
Most states are what you’d call consent states. This means that they require by law that every part involved in a recording of audio or video to be warned about said recording and give their consent on the matter. This means that if your kid wears a body cam, everyone that’ll be recorded by the camera must have knowledge of it and give you their consent.
Now, this recording is very likely to happen in a classroom where you’ll have not only the teachers but also dozens of underaged kids. This is even trickier because recording kids is even more problematic. This is why you must think this through. Still, if you do decide to do it, you’ll probably have to use a hidden camera.
Schools won’t give you permission in 99% of the cases. Maybe even in 100% of them. There are just too many potential legal problems that could arise for this incident for the school. As private property, the school is legally bound to warn their employees, which goes beyond teachers and get their consent.
Then, they would’ve to talk to every single parent. Then, how would they make sure that the kids whose parents didn’t consent to it are left off the footage? It’s a lawsuit waiting to happen for them.
You Might Be Breaking The Law
So, as you can see, this is important to know to make sure that you know what you’re doing. Still, if your child wears the body cam and is careful, you’re not likely to have any problems with it. The secret is to make sure that it’s well hidden, so you don’t get caught.
Just be aware that in some states you might be breaking the law. You have to be aware that you’re recording a bunch of people, including minors, without their knowledge or consent.
So, you must be careful. As much as this can be illegal, you need to know what’s happening. In most cases, parents that take such measures are doing for the right reasons. Your kid might be suffering from bullying from other students or even the school staff.
It’s Inadmissible In Court
Another thing that is important to mention in the discussion is that in the consent states, any of the recordings you’re producing is inadmissible in court. Since these are illegally obtained recordings that we’re talking about, they can be used in the court of the law.
The people in the videos didn’t know they were being filmed, and they also didn’t give you their consent to be in those videos. This means that you can’t use whatever you found in the videos in a lawsuit. Another school wouldn’t allow you to record anything in the classroom or anywhere else.
Obviously, if you’re looking for to film your kid’s day just to make sure that nothing bad is happening, then you can ignore the fact that is inadmissible. If you don’t intend to film thing to use against the school in a lawsuit afterward, then you don‘t need to worry.
Just make sure that you do understand that you can use this to make sure what’s happening. A case of bullying, for instance. But you can’t use it to confront the school administration or any other thing.
It’s Better To Talk To The School First
Now, even though you may have thought that technology is the best resource, it shouldn’t be your first. If you suspect that something is going on that shouldn’t be happening, the best thing that you can do is to go and talk to the school principal or a counselor.
Whatever you do, try to fix the potential issue alongside the school before taking more aggressive measures. In most cases, the school will know how to deal with the issue and help you find the best course of action. A mutual understanding, so everyone comes out of it satisfied.
Now, if you do talk to the school but feels as though nothing was done about it. Or, at least, nothing that resulted in significant change, then it may be the case to resort to the body cam.
As we’ve said, it is indeed a valuable resource that will help you get to the bottom of the problem. The only thing that you should be aware of is that since it’s not allowed by the school, it’s a good idea to try other options first.
Make Sure No One Sees It
The last thing that you should know, it’s actually advice. Since you’d have problems with the school administration for having your kid wearing a body cam, (found at this link from Amazon), make sure that no one finds it out. The first thing that you should be aware of is that your kid must understand that nobody is supposed to know that he’s wearing it.
Then, you should make sure that the camera is well hidden. It’s possible nowadays to buy great cameras that are also small in size. They’ll do the job perfectly. You won’t have problems with teachers or other students spotting the camera out.
So, make sure that no one sees the camera. If you didn’t get consent from the school, which you’re definitely not getting it, you should make sure that is well hidden. You’ll be able to find out what you need to know while avoiding a lot of headaches.
Final Thoughts
It’s important to point out that even though cameras are found in the hallways and other common places in school grounds, they’re not common in classrooms. The reason why school representants have been hesitant towards the idea is that parents and staff do not feel comfortable with the use of it in most states.
So, if you do decide to make your child wear a body cam, make sure is discrete so no one knows about. Keep in that the school won’t give you permission, and that you might have problems if someone notices the camera, so just make sure it’s well-hidden and that you don’t continue doing it for too long.