Fairfax County Public Schools is due to vote on Thursday, September 24, on a proposal to bar automated licence plate readers, including Flock cameras, from school property in Virginia.
The measure has been introduced by school board vice-chairman Kyle McDaniel and is backed by board member Sandy Anderson. It is being presented as a preventative step, as the technology is not currently installed on FCPS-owned land.
Flock is the name commonly used for systems made by Flock Safety, which capture vehicle registration plates alongside information such as the time and location of a sighting. The data is stored in a searchable database, prompting concerns among civil liberties and privacy campaigners about how it may be retained, shared and used.
Mr McDaniel has said schools should remain trusted places for pupils and families, and that decisions about surveillance technology should take account of privacy and accountability as well as security.
The proposed ban would not cover school-zone speed cameras, cameras used to enforce restrictions around school bus stops, or existing security cameras at schools and administrative buildings.
The debate comes as Flock cameras face wider scrutiny in Fairfax County. Police have credited the systems with helping to recover several stolen vehicles, but the county’s Board of Supervisors has voted to pause the installation of new cameras while the technology is reviewed in October.
Flock cameras were also examined at a congressional subcommittee hearing on Wednesday, adding to the growing national debate over the use of automated licence plate readers in public spaces.
The Fairfax County school board meeting is scheduled to begin at 4pm, although the Flock proposal is not expected to come up until about 9pm.
