The Simcoe County District School Board is warning students and parents of a possible privacy breach after discovering surveillance cameras were secretly installed in some of the music classrooms at Collingwood Collegiate Institute.
The discovery was made late last year and the board has been investigating the matter with Collingwood OPP and the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC).
All of the monitoring equipment was removed by school board staff after being discovered and is now secured at the board office.
An internal investigation determined the surveillance cameras were installed approximately five years ago by two staff members to address issues of alleged instrument theft. The school’s administration was unaware that the equipment was installed or in place during the five year period, the board said.
Officials say there is no indication that the surveillance video was viewed by respective staff for any purpose other than resolving theft matters.
The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario was notified of the potential privacy breach on January 13th, 2017. The board is currently working with the IPC to ensure the issue is addressed appropriately.
“We take our responsibility to protect our students privacy very seriously and want you to know that we will continue to make improvements in this area through on going staff education and training,” said Jackie Kavanagh, Superintendent of Education for the area in a letter sent home to parents.
The board also said the recorded images will be disposed of with the assistance of its confidential material disposition service contractor.
- Wirh a report from CTV Barrie's Mike Arsalides.
