How to Improve School Safety with Technology
We believe our children are well cared for at school, but we sometimes take this for granted. Every adult in our schools focuses on safety, but thoroughly checking students’ security can take time, especially nowadays. To help with this, technology is used in different ways to fill in the gaps.
Do you need the latest methods to protect your kids during the day? The best strategies must be used, and new ideas are emerging in this digital era.
Here’s how to improve school safety with technology.
Surveillance
Regardless of how many staff or security personnel you have, you can only be in some places. This is often where safety issues go undetected, and you deal with the fallout afterwards. To enhance school safety, you must keep an eye on everything.
This is best achieved with a comprehensive surveillance system that includes a variety of cameras, such as:
- Fisheye
- Multi-directional
- Corner-mounted
- Bullet and dome
- Licence plate capture
- PTZ
You must record and display footage on monitors along with these capture devices. With this hardware and the software to run them, you can effectively collect, analyze, disseminate, and respond to threats. Beyond detecting unfolding emergencies, you also get a record of events that can be used for identification and evidence.
Digital Signage
When a school has a security threat, it can be hard to alert all those on site, especially on a large campus. However, there is technology that can be utilized.
Digital signage is familiar because we see it daily in our travels, from billboards to restaurants. Information needs to be displayed. In a school setting, screens can be installed in high-traffic areas to send real-time alerts and warnings to students. Digital signage for schools allows vital information to be shared and instructions to be given, including:
- Evacuations
- Contact information
- Weather statements
- Emergency plans
- Campus maps
- Muster stations
A dynamic display can contact students and staff with targeted information, saving lives. Beyond an active event or threat, these digital displays can also run information about safety protocols and tips.
Access
Unwanted or uninvited guests threaten school safety. School entry points exist, from the lobby and office areas to exterior doors in classrooms and other buildings. Locked doors are a wise idea, but you can harness technology to make things easier to access and provide an effective barrier at the same time.
Access screening technology allows for this using various devices, such as FOBs, key cards, keypads, and even biometric scanning. You can lock down specific doors, rooms, and hallways and buildings.
Gateway screening is also effective for detecting weapons while allowing regular foot traffic into buildings and outdoor events. This makes better use of security and allows alerts to a threat before the perpetrator can harm.
Dismissal Management Tools
When the final bell rings, things can get hectic. Students hurry out of school, eager to get home. To keep everyone safe and ensure the right person picks up students, some excellent management tools exist.
These tools make staff’s lives easier because they don’t need walkie-talkies or spreadsheets. Communication with parents becomes simpler through smartphones and apps. Parents and caregivers can update pickup preferences and changes during dismissal.
The same tools can be used for attendance, drop-offs, and after-school activity notifications. This creates a secure and efficient system for tracking kids during these times. With this technology in place, there is less need for extra staff outside, and parents can reunite with their kids safely and quickly.
Cyber Attacks
School administrative data is not immune to digital threats, and as our information is stored in the cloud, it can be at risk. There is an ongoing threat of cyberattacks from ransomware gangs that target schools because they are personal information hubs. Having IT install comprehensive antivirus software, a robust firewall, and content filtering systems will protect students and staff online.
The school setting is also a great place to teach about threats to personal information, student digital citizenship, online safety, and responsible internet use.
This is how technology can improve school safety. As we advance into the digital realm, more technology will enhance our learning centres and protect those inside, all for the benefit of students and staff.
