This cloud-based technology will provide the Piñon Unified School District with the ability to monitor and alert for unauthorized intruders, smoke and fire, and campus traffic issues with a system that recognizes faces and license plates. It can also report and respond to emergency situations in real time, according to a March 5 news release.
“Through the power of AI, we can accurately monitor our nation’s campuses by adding an extra layer of protection so students can focus on what matters most — receiving a top-notch education,” David Ly, Iveda CEO and founder, said in a public statement.
According to the news release, the Piñon district began testing the surveillance technology last year by implementing the AI component into its existing cameras. The system was then set up so school security personnel would receive any security alerts by phone within seconds of detection.
“As our schools continue to grow, there has never been a more pivotal time for Piñon Unified School District to uplevel its on-campus surveillance systems,” Facilities Director Myron McLaughlin said in a public statement. “Identifying and addressing potential threats or concerning behavior among students or unauthorized visitors is more achievable than ever before …”
According to its website, the Piñon Unified School District consists of one elementary school, one middles school and one high school. It’s located within a Navajo reservation in northeastern Arizona that is populated by 2,000 people but also serves several neighboring communities.
In other states, the use of facial recognition surveillance technology has been a contentious issue, with opponents noting privacy issues or potential discrimination against people of color.
In New York last year, the state Office of Information Technology Services issued guidance on future use of facial recognition surveillance technology that said the risks outweigh the benefits. A statewide moratorium on the use of such security devices in public schools has remained in place since late 2020.
Arkansas, California, Illinois, Texas and Washington state have laws regulating the collection, use, safeguarding and retention of biometric data. At the local level, the cities of San Francisco, Oakland, and Somerville, Mass., all passed similar laws, according to a 2024 report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.
The report also noted that a 2022 blueprint for an AI bill or rights released by the White House Office of Science and Technology challenges the producers of facial recognition software and other automated security technologies to develop systems that are safe and effective, but also guard data privacy and assure protections from algorithmic discrimination.
