By Charlotte Matherly, contributor
Rockingham County Public Schools officials wanted to get one thing clear: By installing security cameras in schools, they aren’t looking to surveil students and teachers. They want the technology as assurance in case of emergency.
“We’re creating a safety net, not a prison system,” said Caleb Bailey, the director of school safety and security, during Monday’s school board meeting.
Board members approved up to $4.2 million, and gave the go-ahead to start the process to buy Verdaka cameras. The devices will be placed in hallways, stairwells and at exterior doors, but not in classrooms. They won’t record audio either.
With a phased installation that will start in high schools and trickle down to middle and elementary schools, the new cameras will go live around the start of 2026. The effort follows through on a major part of the school district’s master plan and marked the culmination of work from school board members, including Matt Cross, who has long sought to improve school safety.
Cross said he’s happy the district will consolidate its cameras from the six different kinds it uses to one cohesive system, which he said could speed things up for the local Emergency Communications Center.
“I think it’s going to bring a strong safety and security to our schools, our kids, our teachers, faculty and staff within all of the division,” Cross said. “I look forward for the whole division finally being under one umbrella that ECC can get right into the camera systems if needed for an emergency situation.”
With hesitation, board OKs Chromebooks for some elementary students
Board member Ashley Burgoyne struggled with the question.
As a parent of two rising kindergarteners and one rising fourth-grader, she wants her kids spending a minimal amount of time on electronic devices in school.
After hearing from teachers that Standards of Learning tests are only available online, however, she said she wants to be sure children are equipped to use the technology so it doesn’t impede their testing.
“I definitely struggle as a parent, you know, how much technology are they getting? How much outside and pen and paper are they getting?” Burgoyne said. “I think there’s a balance there … I also would encourage our teachers to … limit that and utilize it only when necessary.”
She ultimately supported a proposal to buy 1,000 and rent 1,700 Chromebook computers for Rockingham County students in third, fourth and fifth grades. The motion passed 4-1, with Matt Cross landing on the opposite side of the issue.
“I’m OK with maybe fifth grade looking at Chromebooks and getting familiar with them for middle school,” Cross said, “but I’d like to see less technology, especially at elementary-school level.”
Superintendent Larry Shifflett, after consulting with school principals and other leaders, has some guidelines for the computers’ use.
Students may only use them when there’s a “clear connection” to a specific educational lesson, plus a big change: Students won’t be allowed to use iPads or Chromebooks during what the district calls “choice time” in class after students have completed their assignments. Instead, Shifflett said they’ll be encouraged to read or engage in other activities that don’t involve technology.
Another significant change is in store for sixth- and seventh-graders, who will no longer be allowed to take Chromebooks home after school except in extenuating circumstances.
While several board members said they were conflicted, Jackie Lohr said she fully supported the move, saying students must gain experience using technology. Her son graduated the year that Rockingham County began providing personal devices to students for coursework, and when he went off to college, he struggled.
“He hadn’t been exposed to it,” Lohr said.
While she wants to be mindful of how students are exposed to technology, she said if they don’t get that experience, they could face a disadvantage in college or the professional world.
“We have to prepare our students to work in the society that they live in, which does include technology,” Lohr said.
Two more books banned
The board voted — without debate — to remove two more books from school libraries in Rockingham County.
The Content Review Committee, which the board formed to read and judge whether books contain sexually explicit content, recommended keeping “Smoke” by Ellen Hopkins and “The Nowhere Girls” by Amy Reed on shelves.
Hollie Cave, the board member who led the charge last year to adopt a policy on sexually explicit materials in schools, disagreed. The board sided with her on a 4-1 vote, with Lohr voting against the motion to ban these two books.
Despite dissent from Cave, the board did agree to keep “Valiant Ladies” by Melissa Grey available in school libraries.
After 18 months, the review of 50 titles preemptively banned from county schools last January is nearly complete, with just three books left from the original list.
The board has banned the majority of those books, with 26 being prohibited – 15 of those against the Content Review Committee and superintendent’s recommendation. Sixteen titles have been returned to all shelves, while three have been retained for high-schoolers only.
Thanks for reading The Citizen, which won the Virginia Press Association’s 2022 News Sweepstakes award as the top online news site in Virginia. We’re independent. We’re local. We pay our contributors, and the money you give goes directly to the reporting. No overhead. No printing costs. Just facts, stories and context. We value your support.
