Creating safer schools
Keeping our schools safe and our students focused on learning has become top priorities for teachers, parents, and communities nationwide. That’s because threats to school safety and security continue to rise. Today’s staff and teachers are not only responding to everyday incidents, such as hallway altercations or minor health situations, but also to critical situations.
Communications and safety technology is evolving to help schools meet these security challenges and ensure that students feel secure, supported, and ready to learn at all times. We envision a world where technology works seamlessly together to respond to everyday emergencies while also recognizing patterns, anticipating actions and preventing situations before they escalate.
At Integrated Communications Inc., we’ve made this vision a reality by building a safety and security ecosystem that integrates critical communications, video security, data, and analytics on one common operating platform – giving schools the systems they need to detect, analyze, communicate, and respond to unfolding incidents or threats. The same technology that helps keep your team and facility safe also makes you better at everything you do. These fundamental technologies keep your facility connected and operations efficient – providing the assurance of safety you need so students and staff can focus on their learning and development.
Our Safer Schools integrated ecosystem helps schools meet security needs and requirements at all levels, from the district-wide layer all the way down to the individual classrooms. Following the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS K-12) “Layers of Protection”, we will explore how Motorola Solutions technology fits into each layer.
Security at the district
Technology integration and coordination at the district-wide level is essential to ensure the safety and security of the people accessing a variety of facilities on a daily basis.
School district safety and security elements include:
- Emergency communication system
- Two-way radio system
- Anonymous reporting
- Mass notification system
- Video security
- Bus security – radios
- Cybersecurity
Security at the property perimeter
The property perimeter begins at the exterior of the school building and extends to the parking lot. Facilities in the property perimeter might include playgrounds, stadiums, sports 2 fields, and other common outdoor areas that may be used by the public after school hours. Your school’s security should begin at the property perimeter to ensure you can detect, analyze, communicate, and respond to unfolding incidents or potential threats before they reach the school building.
Security at the parking lot
Many activities take place in the parking lot – students, staff, and visitors park their vehicles or arrive and depart by bus or other means 3 4 of transportation. This highly trafficked area should be observed for common safety issues including falls, car accidents, dangerous driving, theft, vandalism, and more. Knowing who should – and shouldn’t – be in your parking lot is a valuable component of your safety and security strategy.
Security at the building perimeter
The building perimeter includes the entire exterior of the building and all entrances and exits. Key security functions take place at this level and can range from simple to complex depending on the layout and the number of buildings on the campus.
Security at the classroom/interior
The classroom/interior consists of all of the spaces located inside the school, including not only classrooms but also the gymnasium, cafeteria, media center, theater, common spaces, and more. These areas are commonly the last layer of protection and defense against external threats but also the first layer of protection against internal threats to students, staff, and visitors.