Rachel Silberstein reports for the Times Union that the Lockport City School District, in Niagara County in Western New York, turned on facial recognition cameras in all of its buildings Jan. 2, as the first public school in the state to use them with software designed to distinguish intruders. The New York Civil Liberties Union is calling on the state Education Department to take back its authorization of the biometric surveillance system, saying the approval was premature, and bypassed community input and regulatory and legislative processes. "NYSED should not allow Lockport’s students, teachers, and community members to be test subjects for inaccurate and invasive technology," said Stefanie D. Coyle, deputy director at the NYCLU's Education Policy Center. Facial recognition is being used by schools to monitor student behavior and visitor arrivals. While no other school district is yet employing facial recognition software, the Niskayuna and South Colonie school districts near Albany have installed vape detectors that also screen for loud noises and sudden movements in high school bathrooms. "I really never expected it to be a catchall or a cure-all. I'm just happy to have one more tool in our investigations," Niskayuna High School Principal John Rickert. A bill in the state Legislature would create a one-year moratorium on facial recognition software while more studies are done. Read more about this story in the Times Union.