Colorado legislators have approved legislation that permits public schools to deploy facial recognition technology under narrowly defined security and safety conditions. This decision marks the first time the state has allowed such systems in any educational setting.
The measure, Senate Bill 25-143, cleared the Colorado General Assembly on April 4 and now heads to Governor Jared Polis for his signature.
A statewide moratorium since 2022 blocked any new facial recognition installations. SB25-143 lifts that ban for public school districts but keeps a hold on other government agencies. The previous deadline for renewing those limits was July 1. Lawmakers approved an extension so those broader restrictions now remain in place beyond that date. That approach keeps existing state policy around facial recognition in effect until the legislature acts again.
Under the new law, each local board of education must sign off before a campus may activate facial recognition equipment. Permitted uses focus on two core scenarios:
- Alerting staff if someone who has threatened the school tries to enter.
- Finding missing children on school grounds quickly.
Educators and security specialists backed the bill after studies highlighted real-world safety benefits. The Security Industry Association, a trade group representing security vendors, released a statement supporting the legislation. That release cited incidents where early warnings from recognition software enabled timely intervention.
During the drafting phase, lawmakers consulted with school administrators, the Security Industry Association and other stakeholders to tackle privacy and ethical concerns.
Lawmakers added provisions requiring any biometric data generated by a recognition scan to be erased after 18 months. The final language also clarifies that approved security functions may operate continuously so long as they are used only for designated safety purposes.
Jake Parker, Senior Director of Government Relations at the Security Industry Association, praised the final bill text. “We commend the bill sponsors for ensuring schools can responsibly use facial recognition technology to protect students, teachers, and staff while adhering to best practices and existing privacy laws,” he stated.
Colorado now stands alone in the nation with its combination of strict guardrails for facial recognition in education settings and specific carve-outs for safety uses. Most other states block all new recognition tools on public property without any school exception.
Civil liberties advocates such as the ACLU have warned of potential misuse and student privacy impacts. Proponents maintain that SB25-143’s carefully defined framework and transparency requirements provide an ethical and effective model for using facial recognition in schools.
