Fort Worth ISD responds to concerns over classroom web cameras at some campuses

Parents say they did not know about the new camera technology being rolled out in certain schools across the district this summer

Fort Worth ISD is defending the use of web cameras in classrooms at certain campuses within its Elevate Network, after some parents and community advocates raised concerns about privacy and a lack of communication from district leaders.

The concerns surfaced this week after teachers at certain campuses where Elevate operates were instructed to install web cameras and Zoom links in third, fourth, and fifth grade classrooms.

Multiple families and a parent advocacy group said they were unaware the technology would be used in classrooms and said they were not notified in advance.

“With regard to the web camera use in classrooms, it appears that teachers were told initially at the beginning of this week that students' faces would be included,” said Dionna Deardorff with Families Organized & Responding to Takeover. “Now the district seems to be pivoting and saying that they will set up tripods, that it will only be directed to the teachers.”

In a statement to NBC 5, Fort Worth ISD said the cameras do not record classrooms and only provide a live feed of the instruction. The district said the cameras have been part of the Elevate instructional model since the program began in the summer and are intended to provide "instructional continuity" when students need access to lessons from outside their assigned classrooms.

"The web cameras are intended to provide a live instructional feed when circumstances require a student to access high-quality instruction from a location other than the student's assigned classroom,” the district said.

District leaders said the technology could be used when a teacher is absent, and students need to access instruction from another teacher teaching the same material. Officials said the cameras may also be used when a student is temporarily removed from a classroom for disciplinary reasons but still needs access to lessons.

FWISD emphasized that the cameras are also not intended to function as security or surveillance cameras, and should not be confused with security cameras located in hallways, common areas, and other designated campus spaces.

"The web cameras referenced in the ELEVATE Model serve an instructional purpose and are not intended to function as security or surveillance cameras," the district said.

Still, some parents and advocates say the issue is less about the cameras themselves and more about how the information was communicated to families.

Families Organized & Responding to Takeover stated on Wednesday, calling for greater transparency from district leaders. The parent advocacy group said families deserve detailed information about what is happening inside classrooms and how the technology will be used.

"I think that a big part of the problem is the miscommunication and the lack of communication from the district on this issue," said Deardorff. "It seems to be a recurring theme, unfortunately, and it is something that we consistently keep pushing and advocating for: better communication and more transparency before these decisions are implemented."

Deardorff said questions remain about whether students could appear on camera and how the district ultimately plans to use the technology.

"We are struggling to even form an opinion on whether cameras in the classroom can be used in a positive way to improve instruction, because we haven't been given the information of how they're going to be used," she said. "If the district could be more transparent and share with all of us the methodology that they're planning on implementing…it would help us feel like we're partners in our children's education."

WHAT IS ELEVATE?

The web camera debate comes as Fort Worth ISD continues implementing changes under state-appointed leadership.

The Elevate Network was one of the first major initiatives introduced after the Texas Education Agency took over Fort Worth ISD earlier this year because of failing academic performance at some campuses that required the state to step in. In March, the TEA appointed superintendent Peter Licata and replaced the elected school board with a state-appointed Board of Managers.

The district's Elevate Network then launched this summer. It operates in 24 campuses identified as the district's most academically challenged elementary schools.

The district says it was created to provide those campuses with additional resources, higher teacher pay, and a specialized instructional model aimed at improving student outcomes.

Since the takeover, parents have frequently raised concerns about communication and transparency from district leadership. Licata and members of the Board of Managers have repeatedly said transparency is one of their top priorities as they work to improve student performance across the district.

In the statement to NBC 5, district officials said they take both student privacy and access to high-quality instruction seriously as they continue to clear up confusion about the program with families.