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POINT PLEASANT BEACH — The Point Pleasant Beach Board of Education revised a portion of its right-to-privacy policy to prohibit students making video recordings of teachers and support staff, but not before a group of incumbent board members — and one board member-elect — spoke in opposition to the language of the revision.
The new text added to the policy reads partially as follows: “The Board prohibits any audio or video recording of a teaching staff member or student by any student; other school staff member; visitor; or any other person while a teaching staff member is performing their Board-assigned job responsibilities without the prior written approval of the teaching staff member’s Principal or supervisor.”
A separate but nearly identical policy was passed simultaneously, except the phrase “teaching staff” is replaced with “support staff.”
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During the public comment section, resident Scott Lee, who was elected to the board in November and will assume incumbent Christopher Mullins’ seat on the body, asked what the nature of the policy change was,
“Is this an issue that we have here in the district?” Mr. Lee said. “It’s an optional policy that we’re looking at, correct?”
Later in the meeting, when the policies portion of the consent agenda came up for a vote, board member Elizabeth Boyle spoke out in opposition to the two policy changes.
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“I completely understand your perspective of where you’re coming from, and I am not in support of this recording culture at all,” said Ms. Boyle, addressing the rest of the board. “The only issue I have — and I’ve been split on this since it first came up in policy — is that I am concerned that the language prohibits students from…being able to capture or record something in an instance in which they feel unsafe or if there is an unsafe situation happening with somebody who is in a position of authority.”
“I am a little bit uncomfortable with the language included in the new revision, so I’m going to vote ‘no’ on that,” Ms. Boyle said. She later called it the “sole reason” for her vote.
Board member Christine Grier echoed Ms. Boyle’s comments, relaying an anecdote in support of her desire to craft language protecting students’, as well as staff members’, privacy regarding video recordings.
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