Schools under surveillance |The press

Do the 60 cameras installed in a Saint-Laurent school infringe the rights of employees? Their union thinks so and is going to court. But other schools seem to be fine with security systems.

The 64 surveillance cameras installed by the management of the Vanguard school in Saint-Laurent prevent violence, but they also cause “significant discomfort” among employees.

The employees of the Vanguard school in Saint-Laurent have felt spied on since the installation of some sixty surveillance cameras in the establishment, so much so that their union is going to court to have it recognized that it is an attack on their fundamental rights. The management, for its part, maintains that this is an effective means of preventing violence at school.

Located in Saint-Laurent, Vanguard School welcomes more than 1,000 elementary and secondary students with serious learning difficulties. In May 2017, the management equipped the establishment with surveillance cameras. A total of 64 of these devices were installed in the corridors, in the cafeteria and in the stairwells, but also in front of the elevators and the entrance doors of the six-storey building.

The 168-member Vanguard School Employees Union is seeking to overturn in Superior Court an arbitration tribunal decision that concluded last October that the invasion of employees' privacy was " minimal", in particular because there are no cameras in the classrooms, offices and toilets.

The employees, however, maintain that they feel "constantly spied on by the cameras since they are filmed for a large part of their working time", which leads to "significant discomfort", can we read in the motion filed in Superior Court.

One way to fight violence, says management

These cameras are only intended to "ensure a healthy and safe learning and working environment", assures management. Before the referee, the director of the establishment, Carolyn Coffin-Caputo, explained that the cameras had a deterrent effect and that she had to approve any viewing of the recordings.

Some 20 such requests have reportedly been made over the past year to investigate vandalism, theft, sexual misconduct and fights, one of which was related to the sale of drugs.

The principal of the Vanguard School also clarified before the arbitration tribunal that she “was informed by the police department that the School was the subject of a threat”.

"She couldn't help but think about what had happened at Dawson College," reads the arbitrator's decision. On September 13, 2006, a shooter opened fire in this English-speaking college in the metropolis, killing an 18-year-old student and injuring 19 others.

In his October decision, the arbitrator found the employer's objectives to be “substantial and pressing”.

The Vanguard School Employees Union believes there are other ways to tackle bullying and violence in schools that are less detrimental to the “fundamental rights” of staff.

In a sworn statement, the union president, who is also a psychologist at the school, says that since 2013, when the school moved to its current premises, the problems described by management have been few . She recalled that the students who attend the school have learning difficulties and not behavioral ones.

"No member of the Syndicate consulted me regarding problems of theft, vandalism or violence at school", declared Micheline Filion under oath. However, she says that in 2016, “tracking dogs were used to solve a drug-related problem”.

Neither the union nor the school management would comment on the case due to the appeal filed in court.

Hundreds of cameras for a school board

In 2013, the Marguerite-Bourgeoys school board's decision to add 895 cameras in its schools caused a stir. Since then, the school board has added to the almost general indifference.

“Our perimeter has expanded,” replied the school board spokeswoman, adding that the expansion and construction of new schools had led to the installation of additional cameras.

The school board did not tell us how many of these cameras had been added in six years. However, in 2013, it was estimated that there were approximately 35 of these devices in each secondary school in the school board.

Security, a strong argument for the installation of cameras

The security argument is often invoked to justify the installation of surveillance cameras, recalls André Mondoux, professor of sociology at the University of Quebec in Montreal.

“When there are major events, such as the Olympic Games or G8 meetings, for example, we install a range of equipment, and it stays after. If we had said to people: "We are going to deploy 10,000 cameras in the street, do you agree?", we might have had a debate", illustrates the man who is also a member of the Research Group on daily information and monitoring (GRISQ).

We also have to ask ourselves if there is really an increase in crime at school, or if we just want to “manage the risks”, says André Mondoux. He recalls that video surveillance is not neutral, since it films everyone as if everyone were a potential suspect.

“Is there a problem in the schools? There is a distinction between solving a problem and wanting total control. We want to remove the unpredictable and make it predictable. It's an illusion and it's part of the desire to control, it creates a climate [of surveillance]", says André Mondoux, who also asks the following question: are we training future citizens accustomed to being watched? ?

A measure that teachers “like”

The president of the Quebec Federation of Education Establishment Directors is surprised that the installation of cameras in a school is the subject of an action in court.

"I've never seen that, on the contrary! The teachers like that we have that. We don't put cameras everywhere, there aren't any in the classrooms. We have a closed circuit, it is security guards who have access to it, and we put cameras where there are a lot of young people passing by and in places where there could be a lack of surveillance depending on the architecture of the school, ” says Lise Madore, who has run schools in the Sept-Îles region.

The objective behind this video surveillance is to reduce vandalism, theft and intimidation, she explains.

“It has a positive effect. Knowing that you are being watched, you pay attention. It's part of being human. But we put up a poster to warn that people who enter are under surveillance by cameras. We have an obligation to do that, ”says Lise Madore.

Cameras in schools and buses

In Mauricie, the installation of cameras in the boys' toilets of a secondary school in 2016 sparked complaints from students and their parents. The school management had then explained that episodes of vandalism justified this surveillance.

These cameras have since been removed, but the secondary schools of the Commission scolaire de l'Énergie are equipped with them. They are near the bathrooms and near the lockers.

“Furthermore, surveillance cameras are also present in about thirty school buses,” specified the Commission scolaire de l'Énergie.

The installation of these cameras is part of the "action plan to combat violence and intimidation" and serves to ensure a "healthy and safe environment for students".