Day-Care Centers Look To Security
Biometrics is being used in at least two Broward County day-care centers, reports the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
"Parents love it," says Renee Johnson, district manager of Tutor Time Child Care, which uses the biometric system in its centers in Pembroke Pines and Plantation, Fla. "The parents say, 'This is technology beyond belief.' When we get phone call inquiries or give tours, the biggest question parents ask, 'Is my child safe?'"
Security is a growing concern at day-care centers, which confront issues ranging from custody disputes to the threat of child abductions and terrorism. Today, many day-care centers monitor or restrict access to their buildings by using digital keypads or swipe cards, door buzzers and surveillance cameras, features rarely seen a decade ago....
At the Head of the Class
As a self-professed early adopter of new technologies, Bentonville High School (BHS) in Arkansas recognized the need for its video security surveillance...
Trusting In Digital
The Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District is similar to a lot of school systems in the United States. Money is tight, but the need for security...
From The Field
Education Prince George's County Schools Award Video Surveillance System Contract The Prince George's County, Md., public school district has awarded...
Tested and True
By Ashley Roe
On April 16, Ware County in Southeast Georgia experienced the beginning sparks of a wildfire later designated as the largest fire in the history of the...
Reliable Backup
By Ashley Roe
Founded in 1829 by four members of the Sisters of Charity service organization, St. Joseph's Orphanage (sjokids.org) is a mental health, education and...
Reaching Out
By Julie Hall
Education administrators throughout the country spend a lot of time and money planning crisis response procedures they hope they will never have to use....
School security from A TO Z
By Stephanie Silk
A Access Control A high-end access control system can give a school or university control over the movement of employees, students and visitors while...
Seeking secure schools
By Mike Kennedy
It's often said and statistics back it up that the campuses of the nation's schools and universities are typically the safest places in a community. But...
Preparing the plan
By Mike Kennedy
Crises and catastrophes can strike without warning. Impulsive acts of violence or natural disasters can easily set off a wave of panic. It's especially...
School Districts Take Charge On Cyber Safety
CDW Government Inc. (CDW-G), a wholly owned subsidiary of CDW Corp. and source of Information Technology (IT) solutions to governments and educators, has released the findings of the CDW-G School Safety Index, a research project benchmarking the current status of public school district safety. Based on 14 elements of physical and cyber safety, the survey of 381 school district IT and security directors highlights the indicators of strong district safety programs, as well as the barriers to school safety.
The CDW-G School Safety Index reveals that districts are having greater success with cyber security than physical security. ...
Security Flaws Found On Campuses Across Nation
The University of Washington devised a plan six years ago to protect students and faculty after a struggling medical resident shot to death his mentor, then killed himself.
A new safety team would be alerted to all threats. It would move potential victims to a new dorm or office, assign them police protection or take steps such as changing their phone numbers.
In March, when university employee Rebecca Griego told supervisors and campus police that her former boyfriend had threatened her in two recent calls to her office, no one told the safety team.
...
Migration To IP
Updating analog surveillance systems to IP-based video is a major challenge facing security professionals in the education market, especially in older...
In Search Of Answers About Campus Security
Many schools and universities are looking for better ways to get the word out to students and others on their campuses when an incident occurs. On large campuses such as Virginia Tech, which has more than 26,000 students, it is unlikely that any one method of sending out news will reach everybody. Some students may be in classrooms, others may be napping in their residence halls; some may be strolling across campus; others may be hunkered down in the library for uninterrupted study.
Among the systems that schools around the nation are using or considering are ones that can deliver messages by intercom, telephone, computer or wireless devices. Using a variety of delivery methods, a school is more likely to get the message out in ways that students are accustomed to using. ...
Security Groups Provide Campus Safety Statistics
In the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, parents and students are seeking information on campus security as well as pushing security groups to release information about past incidents on campus.
Security on Campus, a nonprofit advocacy group, says a number of high schools are asking for copies of the group's "safety audit," a printed guide to help seniors evaluate campus safety along with other factors as they make their college choice.
Experts emphasize that there is no way to anticipate an event like the Virginia Tech shooting, but that the two big issues highlighted -- campus mental health services and security -- are topics every student should care about....
Emergency Management on Campus
By Carol Carey
Clear leadership in an emergency situation can make a difference in life or death. This conviction has driven California State University at Fullerton...
Surveillance That Makes the Grade
By Ashley Roe
Interoperability is a term used often by security and education personnel across Harford County Public Schools (HCPS) in Maryland. With 32 elementary,...
A Secure Safety Net
When responding to hostage and other emergency situations inside of school buildings, police officers and first responders are often unable to take swift,...
'Copycat' Threats Keep Schools On Edge After Campus Shooting
The FBI says that law enforcement agencies across the nation have received numerous "copycat" threats against schools since the April 16 Virginia Tech shooting, according to CNN.com.
The FBI logged nearly a dozen school threats last week in the three days following the shooting.
Schools in New York, New Jersey, Minnesota, California, Washington and Texas were among those receiving threats.
The bureau says authorities are doing everything they can to figure out who is responsible....
Multi-Faceted Approach Works Best Against School Violence
Violence has shaken many schools across the country. More than two dozen school shootings have occurred since the school year began; yet there is hope. Communities are banding together to protect their children. Schools are working on many fronts to curb aggression and keep students out of harm's way.
There is no magic answer to keeping violence out of schools. It requires a multi-faceted effort from administrators, staff, parents and students. Available strategies include peer mediation and conflict resolution training, video analytics in school "hot spots," and teaching students how to use the Internet safely.
Numerous methods are available for defusing conflicts before they erupt....
Voice-Over-IP Can Complicate Schools' Enhanced 911 Systems
Schools should have accurate, location-specific enhanced 911 (E911) systems on campus. Regardless of any legal liability or regulatory reasons that may compel these systems, safety concerns are more than enough to justify them.
Now, with the availability of IP-enabled telephone networks, education institutions are on the cusp of a revolution in the way campus E911 programs are managed, according to an article in the February 2007 issue of American School & University, a sister publication.
Colleges and universities, with sprawling campuses and many on- and off-campus buildings networked back through the primary PBX switch, present particular challenges for 911 systems. Often, the remote sites need to route to a public safety answering point (PSAP) other than the main PSAP, compounding the difficulty of determining the exact location of an emergency caller....
ASTM Committee Seeks Participation in School Preparedness Guide
The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International Committee E54 on Homeland Security Applications invites interested parties to participate in the development of a proposed new standard, WK8908, Guide for School Preparedness and All-Hazard Response.
The proposed guide will cover concepts, principles and best practices for integrated emergency management programs concerning preparedness, prevention, mitigation, response and recovery for schools and school districts. The guide will facilitate the preparation for, mitigation against, response to and recovery from a natural or man-caused incident.
The types of situations that will be addressed in WK8908 include all hazards, such as school shootings, hazardous material threats, natural disasters and other risks....
University Offers Degree In Biometric Security
Davenport University, a 141-year-old school in Grand Rapids, Mich., now offers two- and four-year biometric security degree programs, according to The Associated Press...
Missouri bill would close schools for elections
A Republican lawmaker in Missouri wants to make public school districts cancel classes on election days to alleviate potential security risks....
Security Success Breeds Growth
Several middle and high school students recently broke into an elementary school within the Spring ISD (Independent School District) in Texas. They took...
