Some of the worst collateral damage from a tragedy does not occur till after the smoke clears; namely, the usurping of the name of the location where the event took place, which over time gets repurposed into metaphor and served as a caveat. Vietnam has resonated for decades as a reference to protracted war. Kent State is likewise laden with meaning. Now Columbine and Virginia Tech have become ingrained as shorthand for campus killing sprees. Both events pointed up in the starkest way the fragility of school security and ratcheted up safety efforts at educational institutions across the country. Around-the-clock video surveillance is the Holy Grail of K-12 safety efforts. It raises many questions, including whether or not the cameras are a wholly benign presence. This article discusses some key issues that must be resolved before launching video surveillance in the school.