SUWANEE - When the new Peachtree Ridge High School opened last month, students could see something different - the school could see them. <br>
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The $29 million school comes equipped with a camera system that can monitor hallways, stairwells and the front and back of the school. <br>
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School officials say the cameras, which are mounted in areas that are difficult to supervise, allow administrators a better grasp of what's going on in their own campus. <br>
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``I think they act as a deterrent for people who have intentions other than what they should be,'' said Jim Kahrs, school principal. ``If something does happen, we have an accurate picture of what took place.'' <br>
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Designated staff will be able to access the cameras from their desktops and from a school control room. Gwinnett Schools Police Chief Wayne Rickard said eventually he would like school resource officers to be able to access the cameras from their home computers. <br>
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Despite the new technology, however, Kahrs said he does not think they should be used inside classrooms. <br>
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``Every time you cross that threshold in the classroom, you are taking power away from the teacher,'' he said. <br>
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The cameras increasingly are being used at other schools. Gwinnett school officials said the cameras are going into the county's new schools because it is cheaper to put them into new buildings. But tight budgets will probably keep them from being added to other campuses. <br>
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County school board members said they will let principals at older schools decide whether or not they wanted the system. <br>
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But the cameras are not popular with everyone at the school. <br>
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Michael Ruiz, a Collins Hill High School senior, said at first he was angry when cameras were installed at his school, but now he feels they're useless. <br>
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``It doesn't matter because they don't do anything,'' Ruiz said. ``It's more to scare the younger kids. They are so slow, they can't catch anything.''
