When Newark public school students head back to their classrooms in the fall, they'll notice a new high tech addition to their buildings.

More than 7500 cameras equipped with artificial intelligence capabilities meant to keep schools safer.

The Newark Board of Education approved a $12 million contract late last week to have the new surveillance installed this summer, all part of an effort to combat the rise in youth violence throughout the city.

But security experts warn these systems don't always deliver on their promises.

Jessie Gomez reports.

For Chalkbeat Newark, a content partner of NJ Spotlight News, and joins me with her latest report.

Jessie, good to see you.

Thanks for coming on the show.

So talk to me about why the district felt the need to have such a sophisticated surveillance system put in place.

Yeah, So we've been keeping tabs on this project since last year, when the district had initially said that they wanted to place cameras with artificial intelligence capabilities in their schools.

They say that these cameras will help make schools safer.

And so ultimately, they're planning to overhaul their what they're calling as an outdated and inefficient system with this new high tech system that, again, includes these artificial intelligence cameras with these capabilities that will also work with sensors, with sensors to detect beeping.

Also abnormal sounds like gun sounds and things like that.

What does the school district community think about it?

Parents, other folks who need to buy in on it?

Because there have been reports over years, especially from the ACLU, that really raised concerns about privacy and monitoring the students in ways that could potentially be harmful to them.

Yeah.

So on the ground, we haven't heard much traction specifically on these cameras, but what we do know is that on the ground, advocates and city leaders have called for more measures to reduce youth violence across Newark, not just in schools.

Just last week, the city enacted its youth curfew, and that was something that Mayor Ras Baraka said was in response to an uptick in youth violence.

And just this school year, we also saw shootings outside two high schools, one in November, where 15 year old Central High School student was shot in a drive by and another in March where two students were shot just outside West Side High School.

So, again, there is this concern growing in the community about putting better measures in place to help reduce violence among youth and of course, also help reduce crime to youth as well.

And so what does the school district said about how it plans to have its own regulations in place on where these cameras are installed, on what exactly they're monitoring, and to make sure that that privacy issues don't come up.

Yeah, So the school district hasn't been too forthcoming in information when specifically when it comes to this project.

But what we do know through resolutions and board meeting conversations is that board members and the district is on board, that these new cameras won't invade or create an invasion of privacy for students, staff or anyone else that works in district buildings.

They've also said that these cameras wouldn't be placed in places where they are not authorized or where there are concerns with privacy such as bathrooms and things like that.

And so that's where the district says the sensors will come into play.

They hope that these sensors placed in bathrooms would help detect the beeping and any other noises that might come out of these bubbles as well.

So you mentioned the city wide curfew, obviously the cameras.

What else is the public school district in the city doing or investing in to tamp down on this rise in violence.

At the district level?

They've over the years, they've placed a number of security measures to just beef up those security issues.

They've installed metal detectors.

They've done training to their SRO, their school resource officers.

They've invested in more training and things like that, and also have enacted drug and alcohol policies that the district says that all their security guards are already aware of.

And so these measures are supposed to help reduce reduce all of these issues of violence among schools.

And again, at the city level, we're also seeing that there's a new re-engagement center put in place where you know, if youth that are found outside for a few hours on the street will be taken to.

So we do see these efforts and these ongoing efforts happening across the city and in public schools.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter with Chalkbeat Newark.

Jessie, thanks for coming on and sharing your reporting with us.

Thank you so much.