Fairfax Schools to Use Cameras to Stop Food Theft

Fairfax County (VA) high school cafeterias will begin video surveillance this fall to cut down on lunch line theft, which totaled an estimated $1.2 million in losses last school year, reports the Washongton Post. The decision was made by the school board to stem losses that contributed to the system’s overall $150 million budget shortfall.

They approved a one-year pilot for cafeteria cameras to be deployed in six sites, all high schools and secondary schools. The $60,000 cost is being paid by the nutrition department, whose overall budget is around $74 million. An anonymous survey conducted last month by the department found that about one in 10 students admitted to taking food without paying.