Aging security cameras at Burbank High to be replaced next year
Burbank High School is in need of enhancing its security system with new cameras, additional fencing and new gates, according to school officials.
The security system will include phone alerts, a digital recorder and assistance from a security consultant to develop a master plan, according to an agenda for a School Facilities Oversight Committee meeting earlier this month.
In a phone interview, Supt. Matt Hill said plans are still in the early stages, and the district is currently looking at vendors and proposed cameras. The goal is to contract with a vendor this fall and install cameras by spring, he added.
Talks about purchasing new cameras have been mentioned before, so Hill allocated one-time funding for safety needs. Some of those funds were earmarked specifically for security cameras for one school site, he said.
Officials decided to select Burbank High for that money.
Asked for an estimate of the how much new security cameras will cost, Hill declined to give an approximate cost because officials are still working with vendors.
Currently, cameras are located outside buildings and in hallways, but not in classrooms.
Only 19 of the 36 cameras on campus are working, according to the committee’s agenda, and additional cameras are needed to give an overall view of the campus.
Cameras used at Burbank High use VHS tapes, and the technology department often finds it difficult to secure necessary equipment to make repairs, Hill said.
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