Fairfax County Public School board votes to ban Flock cameras on school grounds

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. - The Fairfax County School Board voted Thursday night to ban automatic license plate readers from all district-owned properties following a rise in privacy concerns.

What we know:

Under the newly approved motion, the Fairfax County Public Schools superintendent is directed to prohibit the installation, procurement or leasing of automatic license plate reader systems, including Flock cameras, on property owned by the school board.

Before the vote, no license plate readers were operating on district property.

The technology captures license plate numbers along with additional data, like the time, date, and location of passing vehicles.

Supporters say that many law enforcement agencies, including local police departments, use the cameras to assist in solving crimes, but the technology has drawn substantial pushback.

"Fairfax County Public Schools are not a policing agency; we’re a public education agency. So, we’re not in a policing function, we’re in educating kids," said Fairfax County School Board Vice Chairman Kyle McDaniel, who proposed the motion. "Number two, there has been significant civil rights and privacy concerns across multiple jurisdictions, across multiple political parties. There’s bipartisan concern about what these cameras are collecting, where they’re storing the data, who has access to the data, how long the data is stored for."

Concerns over potential misuse have escalated across the country. In one recent example, five Indianapolis police officers were reportedly charged with misusing license plate reader technology. The issue has also reached the federal level, with a U.S. Senate hearing held on the topic this week.

Nearby jurisdictions have similarly reevaluated the technology's presence. Earlier this month, the Arlington County Board voted to remove dozens of license plate reader cameras.

The board's motion clarifies that while license plate readers are banned, speed cameras and school bus stop-arm cameras will remain allowed on district property.

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