The Fairfax County School Board has unanimously voted to prohibit automatic number-plate recognition cameras, including Flock systems, from being installed, bought or leased on school property.
The decision, taken on Thursday 24 September, was preventative: no such cameras were operating on Fairfax County Public Schools sites before the vote. The measure directs the superintendent to ensure they cannot be introduced in future. ([fcps.edu](https://www.fcps.edu/aggregator/sources/10))
The ban applies to all district-owned property and covers systems that record vehicle number plates alongside details such as the time, date and location of a vehicle’s passage. Existing school security cameras, speed cameras and cameras used to enforce stopping restrictions around school buses are not affected.
Kyle McDaniel, the school board’s vice-chairman and the member who proposed the motion, said the school system was an education authority rather than a policing agency. He also cited concerns over what data could be collected, where it might be stored, who could access it and how long it might be retained. ([fcps.edu](https://www.fcps.edu/aggregator/sources/10))
The vote comes amid wider scrutiny of Flock cameras and other automated number-plate readers in northern Virginia. Fairfax County’s Board of Supervisors has paused the installation of additional cameras while it reviews privacy and data-security issues, while neighbouring Arlington County has voted to remove its county-leased network.
Fairfax County Police Department says it has used number-plate reader technology from Flock Safety, Axon and Motorola since November 2022. It says the systems contributed to 1,594 cases and helped recover 555 stolen vehicles between November 2022 and 4 September 2026. ([fairfaxcounty.gov](https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/real-time-crime-center-transparency))
Police maintain that the technology is used for legitimate law-enforcement purposes, including criminal investigations and locating missing people. The department separately confirms that no Flock number-plate reader cameras are installed at Fairfax County schools. ([fairfaxcounty.gov](https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/real-time-crime-center-transparency))
