Pimloc targets schools with Secure Redact software

Pimloc is promoting its Secure Redact software to K-12 school districts, targeting schools that need to release recorded footage while protecting student privacy.

The push reflects growing pressure on districts to respond to requests from parents, lawyers, law enforcement and public agencies for access to video and records linked to incidents on school grounds.

School systems are collecting more footage from cameras in hallways, classrooms, buses and elsewhere on campus, increasing the volume of material that may later need review and disclosure. That creates a practical problem for administrators and IT teams, who must balance a family's right to information about their own child with the privacy rights of other students who appear in the same recording.

In the US education system, the issue often turns on whether footage is treated as an education record. If it meets that threshold, schools may need to provide access to information relating to one student while withholding personally identifiable information relating to others.

That makes redaction central to the disclosure process. Even a short video clip can require frame-by-frame review before release, particularly when multiple children are visible or a district lacks specialist software.

Secure Redact is designed to automate that work by detecting and blurring faces and other personally identifiable information in recorded video. It can work with existing video management or digital evidence systems, or as a standalone workflow for teams handling disclosure requests.

The software also generates an audit trail showing how footage was handled, which may appeal to districts that need to document internal processes when responding to sensitive requests.

Manual burden

For many school districts, the process remains labour-intensive. Staff often rely on tools not built for education records, and preparing a single clip for release can take hours if every frame must be checked manually.

The burden can fall heavily on technology teams already managing security systems, classroom devices and other digital infrastructure. Missing a face or name in released material can expose a district to complaints or legal risk.

Pimloc is also pitching the software for document handling as well as video. The platform can redact student records including individualised education programme documents, 504 plans, attendance records, free and reduced lunch lists and report cards.

The broader market for privacy software in education has expanded as schools hold more digital records and face greater scrutiny over how those records are stored, reviewed and disclosed. Vendors are increasingly targeting districts with tools that promise to reduce manual administration around compliance and records management.

Andre Greco, Vice President of U.S. Sales at Pimloc, said schools are dealing with a sharp rise in the amount of footage available after incidents.

"Schools have access to more video than ever, and that footage can be critical when parents, attorneys or public agencies ask for answers after an incident," Greco said. "But finding the right clip is only the first step. Before footage can be shared, districts need to protect every other student captured in the recording. That process is still manual in many schools, and it often falls to IT teams that do not have the time, tools or capacity to manage it at scale."

His comments reflect a wider challenge for districts trying to balance transparency with privacy obligations. Requests for incident footage can come from several directions at once, and the administrative burden rises quickly when multiple pupils or documents are involved.

Automated redaction has become one response to that pressure, especially in sectors where large volumes of camera footage are routinely retained. Schools present a distinct case because many requests involve minors and records that require careful handling under student privacy rules.

Pimloc said its system lets districts upload footage, apply redaction across every frame and then download a version for review and release. It presents that workflow as a way to standardise handling across different schools and departments.

Greco said districts are trying to respond to families quickly while protecting the privacy of everyone else included in a file.

"Districts want to be responsive to families, but they also have a responsibility to protect every student who appears on screen or in sensitive documents," Greco said. "Secure Redact gives schools a faster, repeatable way to process video and incident requests so they can release records more safely without adding more manual work for already stretched teams."