Smile... you're on RVC school cameras!

The installation of 200 new security cameras throughout the Rockville Centre school district is virtually complete, and the school board wants to get the word out that the cameras are recording images from outside each school building 24-hours a day, seven days a week.

Funded by New York state EXCEL education aid for capital projects, the cameras are mounted outside school buildings in public areas and inside the buildings in hallways (but not in classrooms, bathrooms, locker rooms or offices). The high definition, digital cameras pan well and provide clear and recognizable images even in total darkness. They are three times sharper than standard security cameras.

The school board is asking parents to remind their children and their friends that no one is allowed on school grounds after dark. Smoking and drinking are always strictly forbidden. Graffiti, vandalism and any other illicit activity can be picked up and officials say they will follow up on a case-by-case basis. The cameras record continuously and images are held between 20 and 27 days — but in instances where the cameras have caught an incident, images can be downloaded to a CD and kept indefinitely.

“The board would like to ensure that the community is aware that security cameras are now installed and operational in all public places within our schools and surrounding the exteriors,” said Board of Education President Liz Dion. “The cameras are low-light cameras, and all activity on school property, 24-hours a day, seven days a week, is being recorded.”