High School Security Cameras on School Board Agenda

After about two years of , the question of installing security video cameras at Pinole Valley High School could be answered Wednesday night. The West Contra Costa Unified School District Board of Trustees is scheduled to vote on the matter at a 6:30 p.m. meeting at DeJean Junior High School, 3400 Macdonald Ave. in Richmond.

City officials and parents have been urging the district to install the cameras as a deterrent to crime and bad behavior. Similar cameras have been installed at Richmond and El Cerrito high schools. Under a proposal promoted by the city, the cameras could be monitored from the Pinole Police Department.

The school district has balked at the cost and the timing. The high school is due to be demolished and rebuilt as early as 2013. Apparently those issues have been resolved, as approval for the surveillance cameras appears on the agenda's Consent Calendar, which lists items to be voted on without discussion. However, any board member or anyone attending the meeting can pull the item off that calendar for the purpose of discussion before a vote.

If approved, the cameras would be installed and operational before the start of the next school year. The cameras also can be used at the new campus. The district staff is recommending an expenditure of no more than $250,000, although city officials have said the job can done for much less.

The meeting will be televised live on Pinole TV Channel 28.