Montana school security camera law

What does Montana law say about school cameras?

District trustees may set up a bus depreciation reserve fund that can pay to replace safety devices installed on buses, including cameras. The yearly amount a district may budget into that fund is capped at 20% of the original cost of a bus or of the devices installed on it.

Do parents have to consent to school security cameras?

Montana's parental rights law gives a parent the right to consent before a government entity makes an audio or video recording of their child, with listed exceptions. In that law, "government entity" expressly includes a school district. One exception is recording for the security or surveillance of buildings, grounds or student transportation, so school security cameras need no parental consent under that section.

What about facial recognition?

Montana's facial recognition law defines "state or local government agency" so that it does not include a school district or law enforcement agency. The law's definition of continuous facial surveillance includes real-time scanning of video surveillance to identify faces passing by the cameras. A state or local government agency, law enforcement agency, public employee or public official may not obtain, use or contract for continuous facial surveillance. Except as the law allows, those same bodies may not install a continuous facial surveillance camera on public buildings. A 2025 bill draft to prohibit facial recognition attendance systems died before it was introduced.

What are the rules for school bus video?

Montana's 2022 school bus standards say school systems should adopt and enforce policies for using on-board video monitoring systems. Under the standards, a camera on a school bus is to be used as an aid to monitor and record student and driver behavior. All students and drivers must be told they may be recorded on the school bus at any time. The school district must notify the parents of all students. The recording is to capture both audio and video. Recordings are stored securely for a period the local school district sets, unless a recording is being used in an ongoing action. Recordings tied to a reported or observed incident are kept until final resolution and time for any appeals. Requests to review a recording must be in writing, and each district must name by policy who may review recordings.

Is school video a public record or an education record?

Public information covers information a public agency prepares, uses or keeps for official business in any form, unless it is confidential under applicable law. A public officer may withhold information about the security of public schools if releasing it would endanger staff, the public or students in a public school. That withholding is limited to what is needed to protect safety or security. Parents have the right to access and review all written and electronic education records about their child that a school controls or holds. The definition of "education record" in the parental rights law does not list video or audio recordings. Montana's pupil online privacy law counts photos and voice recordings as protected information, but only when an operator of a K-12 online application holds them.

What does state guidance recommend?

The Office of Public Instruction (OPI) Montana Safety Rubric is a self-assessment tool that helps districts prioritize federal ESSA Title IV-A funds. It lists at least 30 days of security camera recordings as possible evidence of good practice. It also lists 30 days of CCTV recordings plus real-time CCTV monitoring, and security cameras and GPS on school buses, as possible evidence.

How can schools pay for security?

A district that has certified a current school safety plan may transfer money from other funds into its building reserve fund for school safety and security improvements. One listed improvement is installing or updating emergency response systems using contemporary technologies; the statute does not name cameras.