By Ted Stone
Staff Writer

A new video surveillance policy for Lake of the Woods School District, including rules for taking surveillance cameras into bathrooms and locker rooms, stalled at Monday night’s school board meeting.
The agenda called for the board to give second reading to a new policy that would allow video surveillance in bathrooms and locker rooms in “extreme situations, with extraordinary controls, and only as expressly approved by the superintendent after consultation with law enforcement.” When the matter came up, however, about 35 residents opposed to the new policy raised a series of objections.
The audience came to life moments after the surveillance policy was brought up. “There’s a constitutional right involved here,” one man said.
Several people said they had children who were ready to go to another school if the policy was not stopped. “You’re going to loose students if you keep this policy,” one woman said. Another said she had daughters who were three sport athletes who were ready to move if cameras were allowed in locker rooms.
The discussion went on for about 45 minutes and at times the comments were tinged with frustration or anger. “We’re going to have all kinds of problems and we don’t need them,” another man said. Someone else asked what would have happened if a video tape taken in 2006 in the boys’ locker room would have surfaced on YouTube.
Finally, Chair Ken Horntvedt diffused matters when he made a motion to refer the matter back to policy committee for additional consideration. In addition, six members from the group opposed to the new policy were asked to sit in on the policy committee meeting, scheduled for June 9.
The new policy was prompted after several parents complained earlier this year about the 2006 video, which apparently hadn’t been destroyed. The policy for allowing surveillance in locker rooms and wash rooms has not yet been rejected by the board, only returned to the policy committee to be reconsidered.
In other business the board discussed a proposed school forest and dealt with several routine personell matters.