SB 2485

For the 2026-2027 school year , and each school year thereafter , this bill authorizes e ach LEA and public charter school to install and maintain a video camera surveillance system in each special education classroom operated by the LEA or public charter school to promote and protect teacher and student safety. If an LEA or public charter school installs a video surveillance system in a special education classroom, then the LEA or public charter school must generally use the video camera surveillance system to continuously monitor students, teachers, and staff in the special education classroom while special education or related services are being provided to students. However, an LEA or public charter school must not use a video camera surveillance system to continuously monitor students, teachers, and staff in a special education classroom unless the parents of a majority of the students assigned to receive special education or related services in the classroom c onsent, in writing, to the parent's student being continuously monitored using the system while they are receiving special education or related services in the classroom. This bill authorizes photographs or video footage collected from a video camera surveillance system installed in a special education classroom by an LEA or public charter school to be viewed by (i) t he parent or legal guardian of a student who is featured in the photograph or recording and (ii) a teacher who is featured in the photograph or recording if the teacher believes that the photograph or recording contains evidence of an assault on the teach er. However, such persons can only view such photographs or video footage to the extent that such viewing complies with state or federal privacy law . POLICY This bill requires the local board of education or public charter school governing body for an LEA or public charter school that elects to install a video surveillance system in one or more of its special education classrooms to adopt a policy to effectuate this bill . The policy must establish the duration for which an LEA or public charter school must maintain photographs or video footage collected from a video camera surveillance system installed in a special education classroom. FUNDING This bill provides that it is the intent of the general assembly that funding for the installation of video camera surveillance systems in special education classrooms be funded through any available school safety grants.