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Should teachers be able to wear body cams in the class room?

(43 Posts)
Smileless2012 Mon 18-Jul-22 16:08:02

This was talked about on 'Morning Live' this morning and is a request being made by a teacher falsely accused of assault by a pupil.

TBH I'm not sure how I feel about this. Is it an invasion of privacy and if so, is it justifiable in order to protect teachers from false allegations?

eazybee Mon 18-Jul-22 16:20:26

Yes it is justifiable. It would be good to be able to film some pupils in order to show their behaviour to their parents. This has happened on occasion, and the parents were deeply shocked.
But it won't be allowed, because a teacher's reputation counts for nothing.

MerylStreep Mon 18-Jul-22 16:25:42

Smileless
Prior to my granddaughter being accused of an incident in the classroom I wouldn’t have known which way to go.
But now knowing what I do I’m all in favour for everyone’s sake.

Smileless2012 Mon 18-Jul-22 16:27:45

That's a good point Meryl. Rather than being an invasion of privacy, it could provide security and safety for teacher and students.

Shelflife Mon 18-Jul-22 16:31:49

Yes, teachers and children deserve this .

Kate1949 Mon 18-Jul-22 16:32:06

Yes. Our daughter was kicked and her leg was black and blue. The perpetrator denied it was him.

GagaJo Mon 18-Jul-22 16:33:05

Yes, we should. I know so many teachers who've had false accusations made against them, including me. I was very fortunate there was another member of staff present at the incident, or I'd have been toast.

One of my private tutees told me about a student at her school who made a false accusation against a teacher. All the students knew it wasn't true but the police still had to investigate.

GagaJo Mon 18-Jul-22 16:33:52

eazybee

Yes it is justifiable. It would be good to be able to film some pupils in order to show their behaviour to their parents. This has happened on occasion, and the parents were deeply shocked.
But it won't be allowed, because a teacher's reputation counts for nothing.

This too. Most parents find it hard to believe what their children are capable of.

Redrobin51 Mon 18-Jul-22 16:34:24

I would be all for it. As a trainer many years back I was threatened by a 6' 6" trainee. Fortunately, I was able to defuse the situation and he apologised but it could have been really nasty. From what I have heard there is so much bad behaviour in classrooms now and the teachers have so many constraints it must be very difficult situation for them. Several people I know have come out of schools and have gone into one to kne private tutoring because of the present situation. X

Smileless2012 Mon 18-Jul-22 16:34:45

That must have been awful GagaJo. Yes, I'm beginning to see the sense in this suggestion.

sodapop Mon 18-Jul-22 16:37:39

It's sad when things come to this isn't it. Reading the previous comments I think I would be pro camera but would like to know more about it all first.

MissAdventure Mon 18-Jul-22 17:54:28

The same for me.

Would it then be justifiable for people working in care facilities to wear body cams?

eazybee Mon 18-Jul-22 18:11:36

Regrettably, it would.

MissAdventure Mon 18-Jul-22 18:14:15

I couldn't agree with that - well maybe just in communal areas?

Forlornhope Mon 18-Jul-22 18:24:05

Excellent idea!

HowVeryDareYou Mon 18-Jul-22 18:27:18

Couldn't CCTV be installed in schools?

vegansrock Mon 18-Jul-22 18:49:15

Definitely, my friend had her arm broken by a girl who was trying to attack another girls and she got in the way. The girls wasn’t even suspended.

Smileless2012 Mon 18-Jul-22 19:12:51

Good grief vegansrockshock

PaperMonster Mon 18-Jul-22 21:47:06

I used to work for a training company which ran courses for teenagers who weren’t in college/employment. The classrooms had CCTV in them. I was inappropriately touched and very distressed by it. Because of the position in the room, the CCTV didn’t show him doing anything but it did show me getting up and moving away quickly. Of course, I wasn’t believed.

I’ve not classroom taught teenagers for about ten years and there were some shocking incidents way back then.

lixy Mon 18-Jul-22 21:56:08

Yes, they should.
Too many teachers, and HE lecturers too come to that, have their lives turned upside-down by malicious allegations.

I was fortunate not to have had an allegation made against me, but friends and colleagues have experienced this with long term consequences for their careers and mental health, even though they had done nothing wrong.

oodles Tue 19-Jul-22 10:45:42

surely body cams wouldn't pick up incidents that were not in the line of sight, and someone who wanted to do something that they didn't want picked up on it would just do it when the camera was pointed;elsewhere. A teacher could also cause a temporary malfunction if they were going to do something they shouldn't either
CCTV properly seet up would be better in a classroom

Smileless2012 Tue 19-Jul-22 10:49:36

Yes but if a teacher is wearing a body cam and assaulted a student then it would be recorded. I take your point about CCTV in classrooms oodles.

luluaugust Tue 19-Jul-22 10:53:31

I also think CCTV would be a better idea, some parents seem to have no idea how their children carry on.

maddyone Tue 19-Jul-22 11:08:12

Yes, it would protect teachers from false allegations. It might also encourage pupils to behave themselves.

GagaJo Tue 19-Jul-22 11:19:53

maddyone

Yes, it would protect teachers from false allegations. It might also encourage pupils to behave themselves.

Oh I don't know about that. One school that I worked at had an observation system where they'd use a camera to record the lesson so it could be viewed later at the observer's leisure. Handy in a school where heads of department / managers have a full teaching load.

I did it a couple of times and in both lessons the students knew it was being recorded and were their usual tw**ish selves. Including one having a fit about some other lad stealing his fags.