Modern, smart technologies have evolved to meet the growing and complex needs of our schools. Campus threats are something no parent, child, or educator wants to think about, let alone endure. But when something does go wrong, we all want to be sure the school is thoroughly prepared for the worst. Running regular drills and conducting refresher training can help keep your staff prepared, but you have to have more tools in your belt to back them up. From securing entry points to keeping track of everyone on campus, there are many ways smart technologies can help your school maintain school security.
How Smart Technologies Keep Threats Off Campus
Schools have come a long way when it comes to controlling who can get into their buildings. During school hours, visitors typically can only get inside through the front office door. While the office secretary plays a vital role as the school gatekeeper, what can be done to secure rest of the doors around campus?
The National Association of School Psychologists includes “control access to the school building” in their list of school violence prevention tips. A secure door access system ensures that all doors in a building or even across the district can be locked down with a single command. The lock-down directive can be issued from any wireless device or computer. In an instant, every classroom, hallway, and building can be secured by an administrator miles away. Such a fast response can slow down an attacker and possibly even isolate the person between locked doors until the police arrive.
How Smart Technologies Improve Emergency Response and Outcomes
Smart ID cards are another growing technology among American public schools and provide an added level of protection and intelligence against attackers. It is challenging for schools to account for every student and staff member’s location during an emergency. But, a campus-wide system of Smart ID cards and scanners provides administrators with accurate location reports. This data will show which staff members and students used their cards for attendance. This level of prompt reporting allows administrators and first responders to assess a dangerous situation fast. Smart ID cards can also be programmed for a specific door or building access, helping to keep unauthorized people out of sensitive areas or even entire buildings.
The Partner Alliance for Safer Schools also recommends requiring students and staff to have their IDs at all times; this could make it easier for first responders (who are not familiar with the school or its students) to identify people who are not authorized to be on campus. Students should also be taught to alert a staff member whenever they see a stranger without a visitor badge at school. These small policy changes can make a significant difference when an intruder makes their way into a school building.
How Smart Technologies Facilitate Visitor Management
Education Week includes a visitor sign-in process on its list of school violence prevention tips. Paper sign-in sheets are gradually going away in favor of tech-based sign-in programs. Electronic sign-ins and sign-outs are always legible, and they can be backed up to cloud storage indefinitely.
A school can never have too many fail-safes when it comes to keeping track of visitors on your campus. With a technology-based Visitor Management System, visitors can be identified right when they enter the building, which can help staff to flag potential at-risk visitors. This streamlines the check-in process and provides the school with an instant sex offender registry check. Such a program is also a great way to ensure that students are only ever released to the care of authorized adults.
How Smart Technologies Identify Students at-Risk of Committing Violence
What can a school do to identify and address a potential threat from inside its own student body? Behavioral health us an area of increasing concern in America’s schools. Meeting students’ emotional needs is more important more than ever in today’s school atmosphere. Technology such as an Alternative Behavior Educator helps school counselors manage the counseling process by bringing incident reports, student learning, and parent communication together in one central location. ScholarChip-ABE is one such program which accomplishes all of these objectives and integrates seamlessly with many popular SIS programs. Avoiding school violence is made easier with ScholarChip-ABE by providing a safer environment for students, staff, and teachers.
Technology Keeps Your Schools Safe
Staying one step ahead of would-be assailants is a significant challenge for school safety experts. ScholarChip is proud to be a leader in the field of smart technologies for school security. We work hard to keep campuses secure and help keep children and educators safe. Whatever tools and technology you need to bring your school security plan up to standards, ScholarChip has just what you’re looking for.
We offer a secure door access system that restricts access through any designated door, and an administrator can lock all those doors from anywhere. Our Visitor Management System provides office staff with a fast and reliable way to screen and track volunteers, vendors, and other new visitors on campus. Our Smart ID cards and scanners facilitate attendance, and an instant headcount in the event of an on-campus incident. School counselors can rely on ScholarChip-ABE for incident reporting, behavior improvement modules, and progress tracking, as well as flagging students at risk of harming themselves or others. And best of all, ABE integrates with many popular SIS programs, including PowerSchool.
We look forward to helping your school district improve its security measures and keep kids and teachers safe. Schedule a 1-on-1 walkthrough today with one of our specialists!
