D200 debates installing more security cameras

Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200 officials are considering a $315,000 proposal that would double the number of security cameras on campus after the district’s former campus safety director, Randy Braverman, performed an audit at OPRF last school year and found that they were needed — a conclusion that was met by skepticism by some school board members.

District officials said that the audit was prompted by a case of “misconduct,” but they declined to go into detail about it, citing concerns about student privacy. They did explain that the incident happened somewhere on campus that was not under video surveillance. 

During a regular meeting on Sept. 19, where the proposal was presented, district officials said Braverman’s audit recommended the installation of 110 additional cameras on campus at a total cost of $315,000, in order to increase safety. 

According to a Sept. 19 memo drafted by Fred Preuss, OPRF’s director of buildings and grounds, and Jeff Bergman, the district’s construction supervisor, district officials recommended combining the purchase of the new cameras with the second phase of an already approved, 5-year, $230,000 project that calls for upgrading the school’s existing 110 cameras from analog to digital during routine summer construction work. 

Preuss and Bergman argued that combining the projects would likely “secure better pricing.” They said that the work of upgrading the existing cameras and installing the new ones can be completed “in a time frame that allows for no disruption to student instructional time.” 

But some school board members questioned whether the unplanned purchase of an extra 110 security cameras was really justified and aligned with the board’s vision of orienting the school culture away from punitive and cold disciplinary measures toward trust-building and genuine bonds between students and staff. 

District 209 board President Jackie Moore referenced “big brother” when talking about the possible pitfalls of installing more cameras and wondered if Rich Perna, the school’s interim security director, would make the same recommendation as Braverman, who retired in July. The district is currently looking at candidates to replace him. 

Board member Craig Iseli said that he wanted a more robust explanation for the additional cameras that wasn’t provided in the proposal presented by district officials. 

“I want to understand a little of the rationale as to why,” he said. “It sounds like you have it, but I’d like for it to be explained to us.” 

School board members opted to table the proposal until district officials could gather more information that would be presented at a later date.

CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com