School security camera laws
Where every state stands on school security cameras, police access to school video, and the limits on both.
Every fact checked against the official source by an independent reviewer · Last verified October 27, 2026
- Required by law7
- Required by state rule2
- Allowed by law21
- Funding only11
- Guidance only2
- No law found8
What is a school security camera law?
These laws cover where schools must or may put cameras, who can see the video, and what schools may not record. Some states require cameras in specific places. Kentucky requires every school to control its main entrance with "electronically locking doors, a camera, and an intercom system." Louisiana requires a camera in each covered special education classroom, and Tennessee requires camera systems in public school buildings built or remodeled after July 1, 2023. Utah takes a different approach: every school district and charter school must make all security cameras inside its buildings accessible to local police and 911 centers. Many states only allow and limit cameras. Delaware gives district boards the authority to run camera programs, but a classroom camera needs the principal's and teacher's consent, and no camera may go where students expect privacy.
Which states have a school security camera law?
The table below gives the status in every state and the District of Columbia as of October 27, 2026.
| State | What the law says | Law or rule | Police access | Limits and privacy | State funding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Allowed by law. Local boards may put cameras in special education self-contained classrooms if funding is available, and must install them when a donation is made for that purpose. | Ala. Code § 16-39-13 | Recordings of a reported incident go to investigating officers on request; safety coordinators help adopt camera-data sharing policies | Audio and video required; no restroom or changing-area coverage; parent notice; kept at least 3 months; no live streaming | $600,000 for Cameras in the Classroom grants (FY2027) |
| Alaska | Guidance only. State construction standards recommend security cameras at the main entrance and other remote locations, and the state may require a project to include those standards. | DEED School Design and Construction Standards (guidance); AS 14.11.013 | — | Guidance: video systems should keep at least a 30-day archive | — |
| Arizona | Funding only. A state fund pays sheriffs and police for school safety programs that must allow full-motion video sharing between schools and public safety agencies during an incident. | A.R.S. 41-1733 | Real-time video sharing during an incident, in fund-paid programs | Fund-paid programs must protect student and staff privacy; collecting student biometric information needs written parent permission | $2,000,000 to the interoperability fund (FY2027) |
| Arkansas | Allowed by law. Districts and open-enrollment charters must set up direct communication with local police, which may include school cameras police can reach in real time. | Ark. Code § 6-15-1303(j)(5); 6 CAR § 249-106 | Real-time police camera access is a listed option, not a requirement | Safety assessments every 3 years must cover monitoring and surveillance; assessment records are not public | $50,000,000 in school safety grants (FY2027); 2025 approved uses include security cameras |
| California | Allowed by law. Public schools with 100 or more pupils are encouraged, not required, to adopt a safety program by July 1, 2030 that gives first responders remote access to school cameras. | Cal. Educ. Code § 32280.5; § 51512 | First responders may connect only when staff ask for help with imminent danger of serious injury or death | The program may not use biometric information; classroom recording needs teacher and principal consent | — |
| Colorado | Allowed by law. Schools may not sign facial recognition contracts, apart from listed safety uses, and a student in a seclusion room must be watched by video camera if a window is not feasible. | C.R.S. 22-32-150; C.R.S. 22-15.5-103 | A district's facial recognition policy names who may process the data, such as law-enforcement officials | Facial recognition needs notice and signs at entrances; biometric identifiers kept no longer than 18 months | Security disbursements for installed security hardware (cameras not named) |
| Connecticut | Allowed by law. Boards' changes to special-needs transportation may involve cameras, and state school construction grants are tied to safety criteria covering cameras at entrances and exits. | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-220m; § 10-292r | Cameras paid for by the multimedia security grant must be able to notify police directly (grant condition) | No employer cameras or audio in staff restrooms, locker rooms or lounges; surveillance video kept at least 2 weeks | Competitive school security grants reimburse surveillance cameras; $107 million in bonds authorized |
| Delaware | Allowed by law. District boards have authority to run camera programs on school property, but a classroom camera needs principal and teacher consent, and none may go where students expect privacy. | 14 Del. C. § 4121 | Up to $160,000 for a State Police Real-Time Crime Center application to improve safety in and around schools (FY2027) | No cameras in locker rooms, changing areas or lavatories; board rules required for classroom cameras | School Safety and Security Fund, $9,138,000 (FY2027); camera equipment is an eligible expense |
| District of Columbia | Allowed by law. Each DCPS building gets a yearly security assessment whose objectives include fully operational surveillance systems with properly installed and oriented cameras. | D.C. Code § 10-551.07e(e)(1) | Police say only DCPS officials can grant access to the school camera network (agency statement) | Staff may not remotely switch on a school-issued student device's camera or audio, except in listed cases | — |
| Florida | Allowed by law. Public bodies, including school districts, may video-record children without parental consent when the recording is used solely for security or surveillance of buildings or grounds. | Fla. Stat. s. 1014.04(1)(i); s. 1003.574 | A Broward classroom-camera pilot created for 3 school years from 2021-22 let investigating officers view recordings | Schools may not collect students' biometric information, including facial geometry scans | $20,000,000 in School Hardening Grants (2026-27); video surveillance is an example eligible use |
| Georgia | Allowed by law. A school system or school may choose to place video monitoring cameras in approved classrooms, with prior notice to parents. | O.C.G.A. § 20-2-324.2 | — | Video kept 3 to 12 months; use limited to instruction, classroom interactions and teacher observation | Public schools may request state funding assistance for video surveillance cameras |
| Hawaii | No law found. The only related state money is $5,000,000 a year to improve school safety through technology, and the budget text does not name cameras. | — | — | — | $5,000,000 a year for school safety technology (cameras not named) |
| Idaho | Guidance only. The state school safety assessment asks whether a school has a video surveillance system; it is an assessment question, not a legal requirement. | Office of School Safety and Security assessment questions (guidance) | — | Assessment findings are exempt from public-records requests | $300,000 a year to the state safety program, not earmarked for cameras |
| Illinois | Allowed by law. A school board may adopt a policy allowing video and audio recording inside school buses, with notice to students and parents. | 720 ILCS 5/14-3(m) | Bus recordings may be used only by school officials and police for listed purposes | Collecting student biometric data, including facial recognition, needs parent permission; security video is not a student record unless kept about a student | State school safety grants for security equipment (cameras not named) |
| Indiana | Funding only. Secured School Safety grants may pay for audiovisual monitoring of seclusion and time-out areas, and state guidelines must cover central access to closed circuit cameras. | IC 10-21-1-4; IC 10-21-1.5-5 | Non-binding state guidelines must cover central camera access in an emergency and electronic access for police | School security systems may be withheld from public records | $27,100,000 a year for Secured School Safety |
| Iowa | Allowed by law. A district that buys cameras or other safety equipment must install it and keep it working, and school infrastructure money can pay for security camera systems. | Iowa Code § 279.86; § 423F.3; 605 IAC 13 | For approved weapons-detection systems, police requests for incident video will be complied with | Weapons-detection systems may not stream student images live; their incident video is kept 2,555 days | SAVE school infrastructure money covers security camera systems |
| Kansas | Required by state rule. State Board standards adopted in 2018 under a one-year budget provision say districts shall create or enhance security technology systems, including security cameras. | State Board Safe and Secure School Standards (2018); 2018 H Sub SB 109 § 76(d) | Districts must keep a communication system with police and first responders (not video) | Collecting student biometric data, including facial characteristics, needs written consent | FY2027 safety grants for security cameras, with a $1-for-$1 district match |
| Kentucky | Required by law, at the main entrance. Every school must control its main entrance with electronically locking doors, a camera and an intercom system. | KRS 158.162(3)(d) | — | Recordings kept at least 1 week, or 1 month if they show an injury; they follow student-record privacy rules | $15,000,000 a year to the Center for School Safety (not earmarked for cameras) |
| Louisiana | Required by law, in special education classrooms. Each public school governing authority must install a camera in each covered special education classroom. | La. R.S. 17:1948 | Law enforcement may view recordings as district policy provides | Video and audio; no restroom or changing-area recording; kept at least 1 month; recordings are not public records | Special Education Classroom Monitoring Fund, subject to appropriation |
| Maine | No law found. Maine's facial surveillance law bars government departments and officials from using facial surveillance, but the statute does not mention schools. | — | — | — | — |
| Maryland | Funding only. The Governor must budget an extra $10,000,000 a year for School Safety Grant Program grants, whose named purposes include surveillance and security technology. | Educ. § 5-317 | — | Police may not use facial recognition for live identification (general law, not school-specific) | $10,000,000 (FY2027); new camera surveillance systems are an eligible project |
| Massachusetts | Funding only. Budget earmarks pay for cameras at named schools, such as at least $100,000 for Wachusett Regional High School in FY2027. | St. 2026, c. 137; St. 2026, c. 101 | — | — | One-time earmarks, including Plymouth, Marblehead and Winthrop public schools |
| Michigan | Funding only. Per-pupil school safety payments may be spent on safety infrastructure, including cameras. | MCL 388.1631aa | — | State schedule: security video kept 30 days after creation, then destroyed | Up to $147.06 per pupil (2026-27) |
| Minnesota | Allowed by law. A school bus with video or audio recording must carry a sign telling riders they may be recorded, and state law sets where bus camera heads may be mounted. | Minn. Stat. § 121A.585; § 169.4503 | — | Educational data on students is private; access to the camera on a school-issued device is limited | Safe schools levy of $36 per pupil unit, usable for security |
| Mississippi | Allowed by law. Any district may use audio and video monitoring in classrooms, hallways, buildings, grounds and buses, and yearly threat assessments must inspect surveillance equipment. | Miss. Code Ann. § 37-3-83(6); § 37-3-93(3) | Assessment findings go to local police and the school board within 4 weeks (not the video) | Records schedule: footage that is not evidence is kept at least 30 days | School Safety Grant Program can provide cameras, as appropriations allow |
| Missouri | No law found. Boards must complete a yearly physical security assessment of each facility, but the statute does not mention cameras. | — | — | Records about security systems may be closed | A one-time FY2023 grant allowed video surveillance equipment |
| Montana | Allowed by law. Trustees may set up a bus reserve fund that can pay to replace bus safety devices, including cameras. | MCA 20-10-147; 2022 Montana School Bus Standards | — | Students, drivers and parents must be told about bus recording; the state facial surveillance ban excludes school districts from its definition of government agency | Bus depreciation reserve fund |
| Nebraska | Funding only. The state security infrastructure grant program lists surveillance equipment as a qualifying project. | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 79-3108; 92 NAC 58 | — | — | Stated intent of $10 million from the School Safety and Security Fund |
| Nevada | Allowed by law. Secret electronic surveillance on public school property is unlawful, except surveillance needed as part of a security system protecting people there. | NRS 393.400 | Exempt: police surveillance in a criminal investigation or under a court order | Surveillance of a class or lab needs the teacher's authorization | — |
| New Hampshire | Allowed by law. New school buildings built with state building aid must have internal and external surveillance cameras, and bus audio recording is allowed with board approval and notice. | N.H. Admin. Code Ed 321.10; RSA 570-A:2, II(k) | — | Bus audio kept no more than 10 school days; recording a classroom for teacher evaluations needs board, teacher and parent approval | Security design is a scoring criterion for school building aid |
| New Jersey | Required by law, as a target-hardening tool. Districts must use surveillance cameras in new and existing school buildings, and boards with live-streaming cameras must give police live access. | N.J.S.A. 18A:7G-5.2(b); 18A:41-9 | Agreement lets local police activate cameras and view live video; the county prosecutor settles disputes | The agreement names who may view and guards against unauthorized access; security video is not a public record unless a request names an incident or time | District emergency reserves may fund security cameras |
| New Mexico | Funding only. State capital outlay acts pay for school security, including camera systems at named schools, such as Chelwood Elementary in Albuquerque in 2026. | Laws 2025, ch. 159; Laws 2026, ch. 71 | — | — | $50,000,000 for school security and other uses (FY2026) |
| New York | Allowed by law. The state may give extra building aid for security cameras, and a 2023 order from the Commissioner of Education bars schools from buying or using facial recognition. | N.Y. Educ. Law § 3602(6-c); State Tech. Law § 106-b | — | Facial recognition barred until a superseding order; video showing incidents kept 3 years, and until any minor in it turns 21 | Enhanced building aid; Smart Schools Bond Act video surveillance projects |
| North Carolina | Funding only. The 2026 budget's School Safety Grants buy safety equipment for school buildings, which the state said included cameras in its 2024 award round. | S.L. 2026-41, s. 20.9 | Schools must give police schematic diagrams and emergency key access (not video) | Student biometric information may not go into the state student data system | School Safety Grants; applications need a needs assessment done with local police |
| North Dakota | No law found. Districts must report yearly what they spent on safety measures, including surveillance equipment, but the statute does not require any district to buy it. | — | — | Security system plans, including related photos and video presentations, are exempt from open records | Districts may levy up to 5 mills for a safety plan fund |
| Ohio | Funding only. State school safety grants allow safety supplies and equipment without naming cameras, and a bus rule says interior cameras may be installed. | Am. Sub. H.B. 96; Ohio Adm.Code 4501-5-02 | — | Security records are not public records | $10,000,000 a year in School Safety Training Grants |
| Oklahoma | Funding only. The School Security Revolving Fund and the School Security Grant Program may pay for physical security, including cameras. | 70 O.S. § 5-148.2; 74 O.S. § 51.2b | — | Where security equipment is placed may be kept confidential | Up to $50,000,000 a year, split equally among districts |
| Oregon | Allowed by law. Schools must preserve any video or audio recording of a restraint or seclusion incident, and a state rule allows cameras on school buses. | ORS 339.294(9); OAR 581-053-0240 | — | Parents get notice and copies; other students redacted where practicable | — |
| Pennsylvania | Allowed by law. State school safety grants may pay for security technology, including surveillance equipment, and schools may record audio on buses if conditions are met. | 24 P.S. § 13-1306-B(j)(12); 18 Pa.C.S. § 5704(18) | State criteria list law enforcement camera monitoring as a Level 3 item (guidance) | Bus audio needs a board policy, handbook notice, a notice on the bus and a website notice | $100 million plus 75% of unspent prior-year money for safety and mental health grants (2026-27) |
| Rhode Island | No law found. A proposed school camera section was never added to state law, and a school housing aid bonus for safety projects does not name cameras. | — | — | — | 5% school housing aid bonus for safety and security projects |
| South Carolina | No law found. The 2026-27 budget funds school safety upgrades, including electronic or other technology, but does not name cameras. | — | — | — | $20,000,000 in School Safety Grants |
| South Dakota | No law found. A state rule requires each school board to prepare a written safety plan for pupils, but it does not mention cameras or video. | — | — | — | — |
| Tennessee | Required by law, in new and remodeled buildings. Public and charter school buildings built or remodeled after July 1, 2023 need cameras on entrances, hallways and shared areas, open to police in an emergency. | Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-6-818(a)(3); § 49-6-804(g) | In a drill or emergency, schools must give responding police access to security systems, including cameras, as far as practicable | School security reports and plans are confidential | $20,000,000 school security grants (FY2026); surveillance a top use |
| Texas | Required by law, on request. After a written request, such as from a parent, a district or charter must provide cameras for special education classrooms and settings. | Tex. Educ. Code § 29.022 | Recordings released to a peace officer investigating a reported incident | Audio required; no bathroom or changing-area monitoring; kept at least 3 months; no continual monitoring | School safety allotment may buy security cameras; $33,540 per campus |
| Utah | Required by law, for police and 911 access. Every school district and charter school must make all security cameras in its buildings accessible to local police and 911 centers. | Utah Code 53G-8-805(4); Utah Admin. Code R698-13-5 | Live or recorded is not specified; access protocols are set with local police | A state rule requires entrance cameras at every school (existing buildings by 2029-30) and 14-day retention | $25,000,000 for school safety (FY2026) |
| Vermont | No law found. A 2018 school safety grant program allowed video surveillance equipment, but it was set to be repealed January 1, 2020. | — | — | — | — |
| Virginia | Funding only. State bonds pay for school security equipment grants, and surveillance and camera systems were among the main equipment bought in 2025-26. | Va. Code § 22.1-280.2:2 | The yearly safety audit checklist goes to the local chief of police (not video) | Records revealing surveillance systems may be withheld | Up to $12,000,000 a year; up to $250,000 per division |
| Washington | Allowed by law. Districts must build an emergency response system with police and 911 centers, and a live video feed is one of the options that meets the duty. | RCW 28A.320.126 | A live video feed to police is an option, not a requirement | Security recordings of an incident kept 6 years after it is resolved | $6,000,000 in security grants, up to $500,000 per district |
| West Virginia | Required by law, in special education classrooms and for police access. Local education agencies must place cameras in self-contained classrooms, and county boards must make school cameras accessible to police. | W. Va. Code §18-20-11; §18-9F-9a(e) | Access protocols set with local police, a duty that ends by Dec. 31, 2029; investigating officers may review classroom recordings | Audio required; no restroom or changing-area video; kept at least 3 months, or 365 days for newer systems | Safe Schools Fund, $6,221,518 (FY2027), allocated first to camera needs |
| Wisconsin | Allowed by law. A school bus may carry an interior audio or video recorder if the school's governing body adopts a policy and gives notice. | Wis. Stat. § 347.446 | Bus recordings may be used by school officials and police for listed purposes | Bus recordings are confidential; locker room owners must have a recording-device policy | Justice Department school safety grants (cameras not named) |
| Wyoming | Required by state rule. A School Facilities Commission rule says school buildings shall have video surveillance with recording at entrances and key areas such as stairwells, hallways and parking lots. | SFC Rules Ch. 3 § 12 | Bus video may be used as evidence of passing a stopped school bus | Bus video is not a public record and must be destroyed within a year | $10,000,000 in 2026 for safety and security remedies |
"No law found" means we searched the official legislature, code and state agency sites and found no law or rule on school security cameras or police access to school video. It is not proof that none exists.
Which states require cameras, and where?
Several camera duties cover special education classrooms. Louisiana and West Virginia require cameras in covered special education classrooms. Texas requires them in special education classrooms and settings only after a written request, such as from a parent. Other duties are tied to buildings. Kentucky requires a camera at every school's main entrance, and Tennessee requires camera systems in buildings built or remodeled after July 1, 2023. New Jersey requires districts to use surveillance cameras "as a target-hardening tool." Two states set the duty by rule: Wyoming's school facilities rule lists video surveillance with recording at entrances and key areas, and New Hampshire's applies to new buildings built with state building aid. Kansas's 2018 State Board standards, adopted under a one-year budget provision, say districts shall create or enhance security technology systems, including cameras.
Can police see school camera feeds?
In a few states, yes. Utah requires every school district and charter school to make all security cameras inside its buildings accessible to local police and 911 centers, under protocols set with local police. West Virginia requires county boards to make school security data, including cameras, accessible to local police. That section ends by December 31, 2029. In New Jersey, a district with cameras that can stream live video wirelessly must sign an agreement giving local police the capacity to activate the equipment and view live video. Tennessee requires schools, during a drill or emergency, to give responding police access to security systems, including cameras, "to the greatest extent practicable." Elsewhere it is an option. Arkansas lists cameras police can reach in real time as one way to meet a communication duty, and in Washington a live video feed is one of several options for a required emergency response system. California encourages a program under which first responders may connect only when staff ask for help with imminent danger of serious injury or death.
Where can't schools put cameras, and can they record audio?
Special education camera laws bar coverage of restrooms and changing areas in Alabama, Louisiana, Texas and West Virginia. The same laws in Alabama, Texas and West Virginia call for cameras that record audio, and Louisiana's calls for policies on cameras that record video and audio. Delaware bars cameras where students expect privacy, including locker rooms and lavatories, and a classroom camera needs the principal's and teacher's consent. California bars recording in a classroom without the teacher's and principal's prior consent, and Nevada's ban on secret surveillance at school exempts security systems and teacher-authorized class surveillance. Several states let schools record audio on buses only with a board policy and notice, including Illinois, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Do states limit facial recognition in schools?
A few do. A 2023 order from New York's Commissioner of Education prohibits schools from buying or using facial recognition technology. Colorado bars schools from signing facial recognition contracts, with listed safety exceptions, and a school using one of those exceptions must notify students, parents and staff. Florida bars schools from collecting students' biometric information, which expressly includes a facial geometry scan. Illinois and Kansas require parent permission before a district collects student biometric information, which includes facial recognition in Illinois and facial characteristics in Kansas. Montana's general facial surveillance ban defines state or local government agency so that it excludes school districts.
Is camera footage a student record, and who can see it?
It depends on the state and the video. Kentucky makes recordings of school activities subject to its student-record privacy rules. An Illinois rule excludes video made for security or safety from student records, but video can become part of a student's record when officials keep it for a reason about that student, such as discipline. Louisiana's special education classroom recordings are confidential and are not public records. New Jersey's public records law excludes security video of public buildings unless a request names a specific incident or a specific date and limited time. Federal FERPA guidance says surveillance video a school's law enforcement unit makes and keeps for a law enforcement purpose is not an education record.
How long must schools keep footage, and who pays for cameras?
Special education camera laws set their own minimums: at least 3 months in Alabama, Texas and West Virginia, 365 days for newer West Virginia systems, and at least 1 month in Louisiana. Kentucky requires a master copy of school recordings for at least one week, and one month when they show an injury. Utah's rule sets 14 days. Money comes through state funding programs. The Texas school safety allotment may pay for security cameras, and Michigan's per-pupil safety payments may go to safety infrastructure, including cameras. Alabama appropriated $600,000 for Cameras in the Classroom grants for FY2027, and West Virginia allocates Safe Schools Fund money first to remaining camera needs.
State guides
Alabama · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · District of Columbia · Florida · Georgia · Illinois · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Minnesota · Mississippi · Montana · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New York · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Washington · West Virginia · Wisconsin · Wyoming
How can QuickSecure help?
QuickSecure connects your cameras through a QuickSecure box on site.
Administrators watch live video in the dashboard, with each camera placed on your Nexus floor plan. Only administrators can view it.
System health watches every camera. It opens a ticket when one is offline for 5 minutes and closes it when the camera is back.
Threat detection (beta) flags what a camera sees and sends administrators a snapshot to confirm or dismiss.
This is not a statement that any product satisfies a state's law; read your state's page and ask your counsel.