Kansas school security camera rule

What do the Kansas standards say about cameras?

The 2018 appropriations law had the State Board develop and adopt statewide standards for making all public schools and attendance centers run by school districts safe and secure. That directive was a one-year budget proviso for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2019. The law said the standards must cover security technology for school buildings, including intrusion detection systems and security cameras. Standard 2 says school districts shall create or enhance security technology systems for their buildings, including security cameras. KSDE's (the state education department's) current school-safety page restates it: districts shall create or strengthen security technology systems, such as security cameras. KSDE says appropriate staff shall be trained on security technology systems at least once a year. KSDE also describes surveillance systems as something district crisis plans typically include.

When were the standards adopted?

The State Board moved on December 11, 2018 to approve the Safe and Secure Schools Standards as required by the 2018 law, and the motion carried 10-0. The law required the State Board to notify all school districts of the standards on or before January 1, 2019. To the extent the standards contain security information, the State Board must keep them confidential when sending those notices.

Do the standards give police access to school video?

The 2018 standards had to cover communications systems for interoperability between school districts and law enforcement; that is about communications, not video. KSDE says districts shall keep a communication system for sharing information among schools, law enforcement and other first responders; it does not mention video.

Does Kansas limit facial recognition in schools?

Kansas school districts may not collect biometric data from a student without written consent from the adult student or the minor's parent or guardian. Under the Student Data Privacy Act, biometric data includes facial characteristics that can be used for automated recognition.

Is school camera footage a public record?

Under the Kansas Open Records Act, a public agency does not have to disclose the records listed in K.S.A. 45-221(a). That list includes emergency or security information or procedures whose disclosure would jeopardize public safety. It also includes records whose disclosure federal law, state statute or a Kansas Supreme Court rule restricts. Federal FERPA (student records privacy law) guidance says a school surveillance video of a fight that is used for discipline is directly related to the students involved. The same guidance says surveillance videos created and kept by a school law enforcement unit for a law enforcement purpose are not education records.

How can schools pay for cameras?

FY2027 school safety and security grants are for buying and installing security cameras and security-monitoring systems, among other uses. They also cover communication devices for communication among law enforcement, security services and schools. Districts must match FY2027 grant money on a $1-for-$1 basis. Earlier, FY2020 school safety and security grants paid for buying and installing security cameras and security-monitoring systems, also with a $1-for-$1 district match.

What is the firearm detection program?

In FY2025 the Attorney General was funded to run the safe and secure firearm detection program, and unspent money carried into FY2026 under the same conditions. Taking part is optional; any public school, meaning a school run by a Kansas school district, may apply to the Attorney General. The software must integrate with a building's security camera infrastructure. It must alert building staff and first responders when a visible, unholstered firearm is on public school property. The vendor must run a constantly monitored operations center whose analysts can quickly pass possible threats to law enforcement. The legislature intended the program's funding to end after fiscal year 2026. HB 2381 (2025-2026), which would have written the program into statute, died.