Quick answer: A school camera spec is zoned before it is counted: a secure entrance with a vestibule and front office, hallways and stairwells, the cafeteria and gym, every exterior door from the inside, and the parking lot and bus loop outside. Classrooms, restrooms, locker rooms and counseling offices are no-camera areas unless the district’s written policy says otherwise. A 600-student, two-story school lands at about 28 cameras on a 40-channel NVR, and the public bid is won on documentation as much as on cameras.
Zones and no-camera areas: what does the district’s policy allow before you draw anything?
School boards and districts publish a video surveillance policy, and the bid is scored against it. Read it before the site walk. It names the purpose, who may view footage, how long it is kept and where cameras may not go. Where the policy is silent, the consultant’s spec and the local privacy law fill the gap: in the US, state law plus the federal student-records rules the district already follows; in Canada, the provincial public-sector privacy law that applies to school boards (names vary by province; private schools may fall under PIPEDA or the provincial private-sector law). Verify with the board’s privacy officer or counsel; do not resolve it on the drawing.
| Zone | Camera position | Example CASE SKU | Policy note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secure entrance | Exterior approach, vestibule, front office counter | CS-I5KS SD-2.8mm | Core of every school spec; face at the door |
| Hallways and stairwells | Each hallway end, each stair landing entry | CS-I8MS SD-2.7-13.5mm / CS-I5KS SD-2.8mm | IK10 where students can reach |
| Cafeteria, gym, library | Two opposite corners; library entrance | CS-I8MS SD-2.7-13.5mm | High ceilings need a varifocal lens |
| Exterior doors | Inside, facing each door | CS-I5KS SD-2.8mm | Propped-door evidence |
| Parking, bus loop, playground | Building corners and light poles | CS-I86V I-180 | Stitched 180° per corner |
| Classrooms, restrooms, locker rooms, nurse, counseling | None | — | No-camera areas unless written policy allows |
Entrances and visitor flow: how do you spec the secure vestibule?
The pattern most districts ask for is a single daytime entrance: a visitor is seen at the exterior door, admitted into a vestibule, and released into the front office where identity is checked before the inner door opens. Three cameras make that sequence reviewable.
- Exterior approach. A dome above the door at 9 ft (2.7 m), aimed down the approach so the face is recorded before the person reaches the glass; 120dB WDR for the sky behind them. The CS-I5KS SD-2.8mm prints 5MP 3072×1728@30fps, IR 98 ft (30 m), white light 33 ft (10 m), IP67 and IK10, a Metal+Plastic housing and operating conditions of −31 °F to 149 °F (−35 °C to 65 °C).
- Vestibule. A second CS-I5KS SD-2.8mm inside, facing the exterior door at 8–9 ft (2.4–2.7 m), so the visitor is recorded at face height while waiting.
- Front office counter. A dome on the counter and the inner door; this is also the camera staff use when an intercom caller is unclear.
Every other exterior door is locked during the day and gets a camera from the inside, facing the door, because a propped side door is a common way unauthorized visitors get in. If the bid includes an intercom at the main door, confirm the model, relay and monitor count per the spec sheet before you list it.
Hallways and interior common areas: which dome survives a corridor full of students?
School hallways often run 100–200 ft (30–61 m) under 10–12 ft (3–3.7 m) ceilings, and every camera is within reach of a backpack or a basketball. Two rules: IK10 on every interior camera below 12 ft (3.7 m), and a varifocal lens at hallway ends so the far lockers still fill the frame. The CS-I8MS SD-2.7-13.5mm prints 8MP 3840×2160@20fps, a 2.7–13.5 mm lens, IR 164 ft (50 m), white light 49 ft (15 m), IP67 and IK10, a Metal housing, 120dB WDR, audio 1/1 and alarm 1/1, with Tripwire, Perimeter and Human & Vehicle Classification printed. Mount one at each hallway end looking down the corridor.
Cafeteria and gym ceilings sit at 20–30 ft (6–9 m), so cameras go on the walls at 14–16 ft (4.3–4.9 m) in opposite corners, lens set to the far wall. Leave the built-in microphone disabled: audio recording in a school is a policy and legal question for the district, not an installer default. Stairwells get a CS-I5KS SD-2.8mm at each landing entry.
Outdoor and parking: what covers the bus loop, the lot and the playground?
Outside, the evidence questions are vehicles at drop-off, after-hours vandalism and who entered the grounds. The CS-I86V I-180 covers a lot or a bus loop from a building corner at 16 ft (4.9 m): two 2.8 mm lenses stitched into one 4640×1728@25fps image, IR 98 ft (30 m), white light 98 ft (30 m), PhotonX low light at 0.0009 Lux, IP67, Metal housing and −31 °F to 149 °F (−35 °C to 65 °C). One unit per lot corner, one facing the bus loop and one on the playground side cover the grounds. Low-light and full-color behavior is stated per SKU on the specification sheet and should be confirmed for the site. Plate recognition at the lot entrance, where a district asks for it, is a dedicated LPR camera confirmed per project. Pole cameras beyond 328 ft (100 m) need fiber or an extender and surge protection per NEC (CEC in Canada).
Documentation for public bids: what does the district’s procurement office actually score?
The submittal is judged by people who will never see the cameras; four documents decide most of the technical score.
- Per-SKU specification sheets for every camera, NVR and switch on the schedule, in Catalog 2027 Q1 spelling, attached to the camera schedule.
- Compliance documentation. US district RFPs, especially federally funded ones, may require NDAA Section 889 documentation per SKU; Canadian school boards set their requirements case by case. CASE offers NDAA-compliant options for compliance-sensitive projects. Anabon confirms the exact products and provides the official compliance documentation for each project. Ask for the pack before the bid closes; see The NDAA Documentation Pack.
- Warranty statement by category. CASE cameras and CASE NVRs carry a 6-year warranty. CASE PTZ cameras carry a 3-year warranty. CASE accessories carry unlimited warranty. Hard drives are supported through back-to-back manufacturer warranty. Write it exactly.
- Integration statement. ONVIF profiles supported are S, T, and G, with M on pinhole models. Third-party behavior is confirmed per platform and project.
Two more items protect the bid. Retention: the period is set by the district’s records retention schedule (the board’s retention policy or schedule in Canada), and some incidents are reported late; size storage to that figure and quote it, do not assume it. Analytics: the CS-N440 P16H-AI prints Face Detection and Face Recognition in its AI by NVR row, but facial recognition in a school is a legal and policy decision for the district, restricted in several jurisdictions, including Quebec; leave it out of the proposal unless the RFP requires it and counsel has cleared it (see Facial Recognition: When Not to Promise It). For reading the spec sections and building the submittal, start with How to Read a Video Surveillance RFP and the Bid-Ready Documentation Checklist; open school tenders are listed on Anabon’s bid opportunities page.
Sample schedule: a 600-student, two-story school
The sample is a single building with a main entrance and vestibule, six other exterior doors, two hallways per floor, two stairwells, a cafeteria, a gym, a library, an 80-space parking lot, a bus loop and a fenced playground.
| ID | Position | CASE SKU | Mount and height | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| K01 | Main entrance, exterior approach | CS-I5KS SD-2.8mm | Above the door, 9 ft (2.7 m) | Face before the glass; WDR |
| K02–K03 | Vestibule and front office counter | CS-I5KS SD-2.8mm | Ceiling, 8–9 ft (2.4–2.7 m) | Visitor sequence |
| K04–K09 | Six exterior doors, inside | CS-I5KS SD-2.8mm | Ceiling, 9 ft (2.7 m), facing the door | Propped-door evidence |
| K10–K17 | Four hallways, both ends | CS-I8MS SD-2.7-13.5mm | Ceiling, 10 ft (3 m) | Lens set to the far lockers; IK10 |
| K18–K19 | Stairwells, landing entry | CS-I5KS SD-2.8mm | Ceiling, 9 ft (2.7 m) | IK10 |
| K20–K23 | Cafeteria and gym, two corners each | CS-I8MS SD-2.7-13.5mm | Wall, 14–16 ft (4.3–4.9 m) | Lens to the far wall; mic disabled |
| K24 | Library entrance | CS-I5KS SD-2.8mm | Ceiling, 9 ft (2.7 m) | Entrance only |
| K25–K26 | Parking lot corners | CS-I86V I-180 | Building corner, 16 ft (4.9 m) | Stitched 180° |
| K27–K28 | Bus loop and playground side | CS-I86V I-180 | Building corner, 16 ft (4.9 m) | Drop-off and fence line |
| NVR | Main server room | CS-N440 P16H-AI | Lockable rack | 40CH, 16 PoE; 12 cameras through a PoE switch |
The CS-N440 P16H-AI prints 40 channels, 16 PoE ports, bandwidth of 400Mbps / 400Mbps (200Mbps / 200Mbps with AI on), 4x10TB HDD storage, 16 alarm inputs and 4 outputs, independent HDMI and VGA and a 10/100/1000 Mbps network port. Sixteen cameras sit on its PoE ports and the other twelve on a PoE switch in the same rack; twelve channels stay spare for growth. Check the sum of configured bitrates against the printed 200Mbps figure with AI on.
What to tell your customer
“The spec follows your board’s video policy: a camera sequence at the secure entrance, impact-rated domes at every hallway end and stairwell, a camera inside every exterior door, and 180° cameras on the lot and bus loop. No cameras in classrooms, restrooms, locker rooms or counseling spaces, and no audio or facial recognition unless your policy and counsel approve it in writing. Every product comes with its specification sheet and the compliance documentation your procurement office asks for. CASE cameras and CASE NVRs carry a 6-year warranty, and support runs through us.”
FAQ
How many cameras does a 600-student school need?
For a two-story building with a secure main entrance, six other exterior doors, four hallways, two stairwells, a cafeteria, gym and library, an 80-space lot and a bus loop, plan on about 28: three in the entrance sequence, six on exterior doors, eight at hallway ends, two in stairwells, four in the cafeteria and gym, one at the library and four stitched 180° units outside.
Can school security cameras go in classrooms?
Only where the district’s or board’s written policy allows it, and most do not. Treat classrooms, restrooms, locker rooms, the nurse’s office and counseling spaces as no-camera areas in the base bid, and cover hallways, entrances and common areas instead. If the RFP asks for classroom cameras, get the policy reference and the privacy officer’s confirmation in writing before you quote them.
What documentation does a public school camera bid need?
Per-SKU specification sheets in catalog spelling, compliance documentation where the RFP requires it (many US districts ask for NDAA Section 889 documentation; Canadian boards decide case by case), a warranty statement written exactly by category, and an integration statement in ONVIF profile language. Anabon confirms the exact products and provides the official compliance documentation for each project.
How long do schools keep camera footage?
The figure is set by the district’s records retention schedule in the US or the board’s retention policy or schedule in Canada, not by the installer; ask for it in writing. Quote storage to that figure, keep the entrance and exterior cameras on the longer tier, and write the retention setting into the handover so the policy and the NVR agree.
