Flock Cameras in K-12 Schools: Which Districts Are Reconsidering Them and Why?
School districts are taking different approaches to Flock Safety cameras as questions grow around cost, data access, security value, and community concerns.
AI-enabled cameras and other surveillance technologies have become increasingly common in K-12 school security. Among the companies drawing the most attention is Flock Safety, whose automated license plate readers (ALPRs) are used by school districts and law enforcement agencies across the country.
Flock has also faced growing scrutiny over how data collected by its cameras can be accessed and shared, as well as reported cases of misuse involving law enforcement users. As many municipalities reconsider their relationships with the company, some school districts are doing the same. Several have canceled contracts, removed or disconnected cameras, or paused access while reviewing their programs. Others are continuing to use Flock despite calls from students, parents, or community members to remove the cameras.
The reasons behind those decisions aren't all the same. While much of the debate surrounding Flock has focused on privacy and data sharing, school districts are also weighing cost, security value, public trust, oversight, and relationships with local law enforcement. Those considerations can look very different from one district to another.
Which K-12 School Districts Are Reconsidering Flock Cameras?
The following districts have recently ended, suspended, reviewed, or faced calls to reconsider their use of Flock cameras.
| School District | State | Status | Reason / Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pflugerville ISD | Texas | Cameras removed | Suspended Flock use following an internal review and the city's decision to end its program; district also cited community direction. |
| Worthington City Schools | Ohio | Ending use | District said the cameras did not provide enough value to outweigh concerns about public trust. |
| Olentangy Local Schools | Ohio | Contract canceled | Canceled its Flock contract during summer 2026; the district has provided little public explanation for the decision. |
| Thompson School District | Colorado | Cameras disconnected | District said the cost was not providing the level of service it had hoped to receive. |
| Oconomowoc Area School District | Wisconsin | Ending use | The city's decision to end its Flock program meant local police would no longer have access to the district's cameras. |
| Cherry Creek Schools | Colorado | Cameras removed | District ordered Flock cameras removed from its campuses amid growing scrutiny of the technology and concerns about student privacy and law enforcement monitoring. |
| Clark County School District | Nevada | Access paused / under review | District police paused access to a shared Flock network while the police chief reviews its use. |
| Fulton County Schools | Georgia | Continuing use amid calls for removal | Students at Alpharetta High School are seeking removal; the district says the cameras have supported safety investigations. |
| Cleveland Metropolitan School District | Ohio | Facing calls for removal | Community members have raised concerns about cost, privacy, and data access, while district officials have defended the system's security uses. |
| Dayton Public Schools | Ohio | Continuing use / reviewing governance | District has been developing a formal policy governing its use of Flock cameras. |
Why Are School Districts Reconsidering Flock Cameras?
Recent district decisions point to several factors beyond the privacy debate, including cost, security value, data access, and community concerns.
Weighing Cost Against Security Value
Cost and demonstrated security value have factored into some districts' decisions about whether to continue using Flock cameras.
It's a discussion that extends beyond Flock. In a recent NCSSD discussion about classroom glass and security glazing, members debated how schools should prioritize safety investments when money, time, and personnel are limited. The discussion included the opportunity cost of investing in one safety measure over another and how districts weigh those decisions against vulnerabilities specific to their schools.
Worthington City Schools decided to end its Flock contract early and remove 10 cameras from district facilities. Superintendent Trent Bowers said the cameras had provided some benefits, but not enough to outweigh concerns about public trust. The district also said its existing security cameras could provide similar physical security without automatically collecting license plate data.
Colorado's Thompson School District disconnected five Flock cameras after determining that the amount it was spending was not providing the level of service it had hoped to receive. Although students had organized against the cameras, the district said its decision was based on cost and performance.
Data Sharing and Outside Access
Questions about data sharing have also centered on whether agencies outside a school district can search information collected by its cameras.
Reporting on Alvin Independent School District in Texas found that although the district's own settings reportedly prohibited its police department from conducting immigration-related searches, outside law enforcement agencies were able to search data collected by district cameras through Flock's shared network. Nationwide searches can automatically query participating cameras, meaning an outside officer does not necessarily select a particular school district's cameras individually.
Huffman Independent School District has also faced questions about outside access after records showed that U.S. Border Patrol had been granted access to district Flock readers. The district said it was reviewing the matter.
Community Concerns and Continued Use
In Georgia, students at Alpharetta High School have petitioned Fulton County Schools to remove Flock cameras, citing privacy and data-access concerns.
The district has defended its continued use of the technology. Fulton County Schools says Flock cameras are one component of its larger safety strategy and has pointed to investigations in which the technology has assisted school police, including the identification and location of a suspect following a shooting outside Palmetto Elementary School.
School Flock Decisions Are Part of a Larger Shift
School districts are not reconsidering Flock cameras in isolation. Cities, towns, and law enforcement agencies across the country have also ended, suspended, or reviewed their use of the company's automated license plate readers amid questions about data sharing, outside agency access, oversight, cost, and public trust.
That trend has been particularly visible in Massachusetts, where dozens of municipalities have rejected, discontinued, or suspended Flock programs. Communities in other states, including Texas and Colorado, have also reconsidered their use of the technology.
Those decisions don't automatically determine what a school district does with its own cameras, but they can affect school systems when Flock is part of a larger partnership with local law enforcement.
For example, the Oconomowoc Area School District in Wisconsin had four Flock cameras at its high school and had previously cited benefits from sharing access with local law enforcement. When the City of Oconomowoc decided to end its Flock program, local police would no longer be able to access the district's cameras. The school district subsequently decided to discontinue them as well.
Pflugerville Independent School District's decision also followed action by its local government. The Texas district removed Flock cameras from its properties in August after an internal review and the Pflugerville City Council's decision to end the city's program. The district said its decision reflected the community's direction.
What Should K-12 Leaders Take From the Flock Debate?
The recent decisions involving Flock cameras show the range of factors districts are considering as they review the technology, including cost, security value, data access, community concerns, and relationships with local law enforcement.
Several of the district decisions also came after circumstances changed following installation. A district's security needs, law enforcement partnerships, data-sharing arrangements, costs, or the capabilities of the technology may change over the course of a contract.
Flock is also only one provider of automated license plate reader technology. Some communities that have ended relationships with Flock have continued using ALPR technology from other providers, making the technology itself and the specific vendor two separate considerations.
For districts reviewing an existing system, questions include whether it is still addressing the security need it was intended to address, how it has been used, who can access the information it collects, what it costs, and whether its current use aligns with district policies.