$168,141 for cameras in Westfield schools

Ted LaBorde of the Springfield Republican reports in this story how schools in Westfield are installing $168,141 worth of video surveillance cameras in schools.

Is this worth it?

It's probably not illegal for schools to have students under video surveillance, but we can't help but wonder whether making schools seem more like prisons is really helpful for learning.

The ACLU doesn't oppose video surveillance in specific, sensitive locations where it can be helpful to keep people safe or enforce the law, but surveillance cameras aren't a magic solution to crime or other problems. People still get mugged at ATM machines even though they're under constant video surveillance. Is this the best way for schools to spend $168,141?

Questions also come up with video surveillance, such as how will the data from the cameras be used? Will it be shared with police, and will the monitoring contribute to the "school to prison pipeline" -- the tendency to hand kids over to the criminal justice system for problems that used to be dealt with internally?