Privacy in Action: North Plainfield School District Somerset County, New Jersey

Introduction

As U.S. schools face mounting pressure to ensure safety, comply with privacy regulations and operate transparently, video compliance technology has become a critical asset.

From monitoring behavior in schools to ensuring adherence to safety protocols, video compliance systems are reshaping how schools manage accountability and transparency.

The North Plainfield School District in New Jersey provides a compelling example of how redaction tools can help to meet all pressing operational demands efficiently and securely.

District Overview: Progressive Thinking in Curriculum and Security

North Plainfield is a culturally diverse and forward-thinking school district serving approximately 3,700 students from preschool through grade twelve, with an operational budget of around $92 million.

The District’s commitment to innovation is evident both in education - such as its Dual Language Academy - and in its strong focus on safety, demonstrated by its use of the STOPit anti-bullying platform and a detailed district-wide Safety and Security Plan.

The District took a similarly proactive step to support safety, accountability and legal integrity when looking for a video compliance solution.

The Solution: Facit Identity Cloak Redaction Technology

To address compliance risks in the face of an increase in requests for video footage from parents, North Plainfield adopted Facit’s AI-powered video redaction software, Identity Cloak.

Identity Cloak enables the District to automatically and accurately redact sensitive visual and audio information, when used either as a standalone tool or integrated with their Milestone video management system.

Benefits of Identity Cloak

Identity Cloak is simple to use and redacts videos automatically quickly in just a few steps.

The system allows full video redaction in a single workflow, which is far more efficient and effective than manually editing individual clips.

Use Cases

North Plainfield uses Identity Cloak primarily for:

• Reviewing serious incidents such as assaults, theft or accidents

• Responding to third-party inquiries such as parents and insurance companies

• If required, generating court-ready video evidence

Only authorized staff and law enforcement can access unredacted footage.

A rigorous request process is in place: all third-party video access requests go through the superintendent and when necessary are referred for legal review to the District’s attorney.

The District maintains a strict 30-day data retention policy in accordance with FERPA, unless footage is needed for an ongoing investigation.

Time Savings and Strategic Impact

Compared to manual redaction or general-purpose editing software, Identity Cloak saves North Plainfield significant amounts of valuable staff time and minimizes the risk of human error.

The District is now exploring expanded use cases, such as creating immersive, redacted training videos for safety drills to help staff and students better prepare for emergencies with realistic, scenario-based content.