As the world evolves around us, our educational institutions must continually adapt. School administrators are faced with myriad challenges, even as staffing budgets constrict and security risks expand – ranging from cyber attacks to physical security.
Technology undeniably plays an outsized role in educators’ ability to keep pace with this evolution. But how can schools best make use of the technology at hand?
Technology in Schools: Friend or Foe?
For some teachers and administrators, the thought of technology on the school campus conjures images of classroom disruptions as access to smartphones and other connected devices can be too tempting for students to resist.
Likewise, debates around the pros and cons of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, such as generative AI, raise concerns that reliance on technology may weaken students’ grasp of fundamental skills and critical problem-solving capabilities.
Nonetheless, the unrelenting speed of technology growth has become an unstoppable force. Embracing technology enables opportunities to create revolutionary new learning experiences and maximize the efficiency of campus operations.
Moreover, advanced technologies help schools bolster both cyber and physical defenses against bad actors seeking to target teachers, staff, and students, as well as cybercriminals wielding AI-augmented phishing campaigns, ransomware, and malware.
Security Benefits of a Connected Campus
Today, faculty and facilities personnel can leverage a host of technologies, including AI, autonomous robotics, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), interactive smartboards, internet of Things (IoT), LED signage, smart environmental controls, facial recognition technology, and simultaneous datacasting.
Integrating the latest technology into every aspect of operations and curriculum empowers schools to enhance and expand essential services, improve the educational experience, and enable greater productivity and efficiency.
Yet, while our educational institutions balance many responsibilities, the safety and security of students, faculty, staff, and visitors is of utmost importance at all times. As security solutions evolve, a range of technologies are available to deliver peace of mind in uncertain times.
Solutions might include real-time access control with automated doors, surveillance cameras for monitoring and recording criminal activity, automated or motion-sensitive lighting, and environmental sensors to detect hazardous situations such as smoking or gas and water leaks.
On some campuses, a preferred solution to protect people and property is autonomous security robot technology. Autonomous robots can patrol large areas to offer an extra level of security, providing accurate real-time information with live feedback from the robot’s cameras for security personnel.
Texas School Invests in Hybrid Cloud Security System
As part of its mission to provide a safe environment, Grayson Christian School opted to install a hybrid cloud security system to cover the school and campus in Sherman, Texas.
“Parents want a place where their kids can feel safe,” says principal Greg Rostyne. “When you talk about security in schools, unfortunately, it’s more needed now than any other time, and so it’s something that everybody’s concerned about.”
With a cloud-based camera system, the school can monitor activity throughout the school, between the buildings, and along walkways. Plus the indoor and outdoor cameras can be paired to provide complete visibility of happenings in and around each building.
Additional cameras are mounted on the backside of buildings to monitor the football field and remote areas.
“We can monitor who’s coming and going out of buildings, whether its access control on our doors, or cameras inside and outside,” says Rostyne. “Our older students move from class to class, and some of those classrooms are outside, so it’s important for us to monitor the movements of the students.”
For school security staff, seamless connectivity is crucial for reliable communications, particularly when visitors arrive on the campus.
“When a person comes in and scans their ID for the visitor check-in, the system does an immediate background search on them,” says Rostyne. “If they were an offender or something like that, it would flag us and notify security.
“And if someone checks into the visitor management system to go to the gym, for example, but they go somewhere else, it notifies us that this person is in a place they’re not authorized to be,” he says.
The security system at Grayson Christian School also is connected to environmental sensors that can monitor humidity, air quality, and temperature, as well as smoking or vaping. The sensors pair with cameras, enabling school administrators to see who is in the area when sensors are triggered, allowing the correct people on the security team to be notified so they can respond appropriately.
“For us, it’s about harnessing and stewarding the technology we’ve been given to use it the right way to benefit our students, and I think that we’ve only scratched the surface on that,” says Rostyne.
Since the security system was first installed, the camera systems and environmental sensors have captured data related to several on-campus incidents. Furthermore, the guest management system has notified school administrators about potential issues or possible threats to the campus.
Transforming Educational Experiences with Security
Digital transformation enables modern educational institutions to embrace state-of-the-art technology, not only maximizing campus efficiency and safety but also empowering personalized learning, interactive lessons, and greater collaboration.
With a connected campus, schools can leverage the latest technologies, securing the safety of our children today and enabling first-rate educational experiences for their future.
Luis Manriquez is senior director of education partnerships and smart city initiatives for Trilogy NextGen.
The post How One Sherman, Texas School Integrated Technologies to Improve Safety and Learning appeared first on Security Sales & Integration.