The Student Press Law Center and the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project are proud to honor California high school students Maximus Kwan and Radhika Agrawal with the 2026 Student Freedom of Information Award.
Kwan and Agrawal, reporters for Scot Scoop News at Carlmont High School, filed public records requests with their school district and uncovered that the district used $678,676 to install 117 AI-powered surveillance cameras on its four campuses with little public notice.
Voters approved a 2014 ballot measure that allowed the Sequoia Union High School District in Belmont, California, to purchase “technology equipment and infrastructure.” Kwan and Agrawal found that the district used that funding in 2021 to buy and install high-quality cameras with infrared sensors and automated analytics. The board voted on those purchases as part of its consent agendas, meaning it was approved with no discussion alongside other items.
In the records they requested from their school district — including administrator emails, contracts and a spreadsheet containing camera specifications — the reporters confirmed the cameras’ existence and AI capabilities. These public records, as well as publicly available bond measures and board agendas and minutes, allowed the reporters to document the entire procurement process, showing how the broadly worded bond measure was used to fund a sophisticated surveillance infrastructure.
Kwan and Agrawal’s reporting brought to light not only what the money had been spent on, but also that the district had not updated its surveillance policies to guide the use of AI analytics or how and when staff could share screenshots of students, raising legal and privacy questions for the district. The reporters also explained to readers what capabilities the cameras had, and whether the district was currently using them.
“Maximus and Radhika’s reporting raised difficult questions about transparency and student privacy that the district should have answered from the start,” said Gary Green, executive director of the Student Press Law Center. “Their patience and rigor in pursuing and distilling the hidden facts from a trove of public records is remarkable for high school students and exactly the kind of reporting this award celebrates.”
The honor will be presented Nov. 21 at the Fall National High School Journalism Convention in Orlando, Florida.
Kwan, Agrawal and Scot Scoop News will split a $1,000 prize, sponsored by the Brechner FOI Project at the University of Florida.
“Public records revealed what administrators didn’t want the public to see,” said David Cuillier, Brechner FOI Project director. “This amazing work demonstrates the power of accountability journalism.”
About the Award
The Student Freedom of Information Award recognizes a student journalist or team of journalists for outstanding and tenacious use of public records in reporting that promotes transparency and brings important issues to light in their school or community. SPLC presents the honor in partnership with the Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida, which provides a $1,000 prize to the high school winner.
This year’s winner was selected from a competitive group of nominations by a committee of experts on public records and reporting, including Matt Drange, investigative reporter and journalism instructor at Laney College, and Nate Jones, Washington Post FOIA director.