The Floyd County Board of Education has approved spending approximately $1 million on 350 new Verkada security cameras for just four of the district’s 16 schools. Armuchee High School, Coosa High School, Pepperell Middle School, and Pepperell High School will receive the new camera systems.
The project includes not only the cameras themselves, but also mounting equipment, cloud-based internet access, video storage, and a 10-year warranty. Many tax payers have began to critize the purchase due to the fact that there are already security cameras in each of the schools.
The nearly $1 million investment averages about $250,000 per school for the four campuses receiving the upgrades, while the remaining 12 Floyd County schools will not be included in this phase of the project. The purchase will be funded entirely through Educational Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST) revenue approved by voters in 2023.
The board also discussed updating attendance zone maps. According to district officials, the changes are administrative in nature and are not expected to move any students, but the revised maps must still be submitted to the Georgia Legislature for approval.
