Arlington Heights schools to get security cameras

Kids will be kids, but if they're caught breaking a law around two Arlington Heights middle schools, they'll probably be caught.

District 25 officials hope to install about 20 security cameras at Thomas Middle School and about 15 cameras at South Middle School this spring. The cameras will be installed both inside and outside each building.

Locations will include parking lots, main lobbies and some hallways, Ken Roiland, District 25's director of facilities management, told the school board Thursday.

Hopefully the cameras will curb some behavior that seems to occur at night and on the weekends when teachers aren't around, Roiland said.

"Outside we're seeing some vandalism - some broken windows and flattened bike tires," he said. "Things that are costing the district thousands of dollars a year. We think these cameras will catch some of these kids."

The inside cameras will watch kids roaming the hallways at night, said Superintendent Sarah Jerome.

"Some of the activities that take place at night don't always have direct adult supervision," she said.

The cameras, which could be installed during spring break, will cost around $40,000 and will be paid for mostly through a grant, Roiland said.

If the district gets the same grant next year, officials will probably install similar cameras at all District 25 elementary schools, Roiland said.

The school board will hear an update on the camera installation project at a Feb. 12 board meeting.

Security: Most of the cameras' cost will be paid by a grant