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The K-12 Video Security Buyer’s Guide: 8 Questions to Ask
Alec Hemenway 12 min readUpdated February 2026
Why a Structured Evaluation Matters
Most districts evaluate security vendors based on demos and sales pitches. That’s how you end up with a system that looks great in a conference room but fails in the hallway. A structured question framework forces vendors to answer the hard questions before you sign anything.
The 8 Questions
- Does your system work with our existing cameras, or do we need to replace them?
- What is your false positive rate on safety alerts, and how do you measure it?
- What happens to our footage and data if we cancel the contract?
- Can we run a pilot on a subset of cameras before committing?
- What does pricing look like at 100, 500, and 1,000 cameras over 3 years?
- How do you handle student privacy and FERPA compliance?
- What is your typical deployment timeline for a district our size?
- Can you provide references from districts with similar camera counts and use cases?
Watch Out
If a vendor can’t or won’t answer any of these questions directly, that’s a red flag. Transparency in the evaluation phase predicts transparency in the relationship.
Vendor Scorecard
| Criterion | Weight | Vendor A | Vendor B | Vendor C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camera compatibility | 15% | |||
| Alert accuracy | 15% | |||
| Data portability | 10% | |||
| Pilot availability | 10% | |||
| 3-year TCO | 20% | |||
| Privacy / FERPA | 10% | |||
| Deployment speed | 10% | |||
| References quality | 10% |
Red Flags to Watch For
- Proprietary cameras required (vendor lock-in)
- No pilot program available
- Pricing only shared after a multi-meeting sales cycle
- Multi-year commitment required upfront with no early termination
- No SOC 2 or equivalent security certification
- Cannot provide K-12 references in your state
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