Minnesota school security camera law

What does Minnesota law say about school cameras?

If a school bus has a video or audio recording device, the bus must carry a conspicuous sign telling riders their conversations or actions may be recorded. School bus camera heads may be mounted in the driver compartment area, midbus, or on a rear interior bulkhead in the student passenger area. On buses built or retrofitted with a surveillance system after December 31, 2012, midbus cameras must be parallel to a seat back, have no sharp edges, and stick out no more than 3-1/2 inches. Minnesota law also limits accessing or monitoring the audio or visual recording feature of a school-issued device.

Is school video private student data?

Educational data means data on individuals kept by a public educational agency or institution, or someone acting for it, that relates to a student. Educational data is private data on individuals and may be released only in listed cases. One listed case allows release in health and safety emergencies. Records of a school law enforcement unit kept apart from education data, solely for law enforcement purposes, and shared only with law enforcement officials of the jurisdiction are not educational data. Records of organizations that provide security services to a public school must be handled under section 13.861. "Security information" is government data whose release the responsible authority decides would likely substantially endanger the security of information, possessions, individuals or property. Security information about individuals is private data.

What has the state said about specific school videos?

In a 2019 advisory opinion, the Commissioner of Administration agreed that hallway security video of two students in an altercation was a FERPA education record and educational data on those students. The Commissioner said the district should let a parent of a student in the video see it, even though it also showed other students. Students who appear only in the background, and whose images are not filed or labeled by name, are not subjects of educational data in that video, the Commissioner said. In a 2007 opinion about school security video of a public athletic event, the Commissioner said the footage was not private educational or personnel data. These advisory opinions are not binding on the school they concern. Courts must give them deference in cases about the data.

Did the 2026 bill on police access to school cameras pass?

No. A 2026 bill, HF 4571, would have required each school to make camera, map and access-control information accessible to local law enforcement, to the extent the data practices law allows. It would also have required schools to set up access protocols for security information with local law enforcement. Its definition of school included districts, charter schools and nonpublic schools. HF 4571 was referred to the House Education Policy committee, and its Senate companion, SF 4630, was re-referred to Education Finance. The 2026 session, the last of the biennium, adjourned on May 18, 2026, so bills left in committee did not become law.

What about facial recognition?

A 2026 bill, HF 3661, would have barred government entities from obtaining or using face surveillance systems; it was not enacted. HF 3661 was referred to Judiciary Finance and Civil Law. An earlier version, HF 3146, was referred to Public Safety Finance and Policy in April 2025 and got no committee action. A 2026 bill, SF 4906 (House companion HF 4799), would have created a voluntary state grant program for school safety video analytics software running on existing cameras; it was not enacted. That bill would have limited any enabled facial recognition to narrow, high-risk watch lists set by the school under written local policy. It would also have required facial image masking by default in grant-funded video analytics systems. Both companions were referred to Education Finance, with no later action shown.

How can schools pay for security?

Safe schools revenue may pay the costs for security in a district's schools and on school property. It may also pay for facility security enhancements, including equipment and facility changes related to violence prevention and facility security. A district's safe schools levy equals $36 times its adjusted pupil units. Long-term facilities maintenance revenue may not be used for violence prevention and facility security. The 2023 Legislature funded grants to school districts and charter schools to improve building security and cybersecurity. Those grants may be used for security-related facility improvements. The 2023 grant money is one-time and available until June 30, 2027. In 2018 the Legislature funded fiscal year 2019 school safety facility grants for violence prevention and facility security, capped at $500,000 per qualifying school building.

Can a school get a security review?

The Minnesota School Safety Center provides safe school facility assessments to help schools prepare for emergencies. Those assessments are given to schools or districts that ask for them.