Improving Classroom Security and Attendance

HID Global’s card personalization software 

HID Global’s card personalization software enables DPS to create and issue 15,000 student ID cards during the first week of each school year.

It can be difficult to ensure school security and manage attendance. This was the case at Dayton Public Schools (DPS) in Dayton, Ohio. With 30 schools buildings and other centers housing roughly 15,000 students, DPS needed a universal, mandatory system for creating and managing student IDs.

DPS’s new solution meets this challenge. Implemented by Plasco ID, it combines the PlascoTrac student tracking management system with FARGO DTC4500 desktop card printers/encoders from HID Global. The printers and software integrate seamlessly with DPS’ eSchoolPLUS web-based student-information system. HID Global’s Asure ID card personalization software enables DPS to create and instantly issue 15,000 customized student ID cards the first week of each school year. The new system not only improves issuance efficiency, but also enables DPS to process tardy students in 25 to 30 percent less time.

FARGO printers are field-upgradeable to support evolving requirements. With minimal training, staff can design card templates, enter data and create badges. The Asure ID LiveLink feature synchronizes ID badge data with the other systems’ attendance information. In addition to its logo and mission statement, DPS has integrated a large color photo and student name onto each card for more trustworthy authentication.

DPS can derive other value from the cards, including using them for library check-out, or to monitor cafeteria meal plan usage. They can also be used to track performance improvement programs, for visitor management and for fund-raising initiatives that involve monitoring purchases at participating stores and restaurants, a portion of which are donated to the schools. Dayton knows that security and attendance have improved with its new system, and there are many other ways to still further leverage its investment.

www.hidglobal.com

This article originally appeared in the School Planning & Management August 2013 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • University of Pennsylvania Releases Design of Future Physical Sciences Building

    The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) in Philadelphia, Penn., recently released renderings of an upcoming 350,000-square-foot Physical Sciences Building, according to news release. The facility was designed by CO Architects and will unite the university’s departments of Physics and Astronomy, Mathematics, and Earth and Environmental Science.

  • Q&A: How to Prevent Kitchen Grease Fires in Commercial Kitchens

    School cafeterias and university dining halls serve thousands of meals daily, relying on high-heat equipment like fryers, grills, and ovens. While these operations keep students fed, they also generate significant grease-laden vapors. Without proper controls, this grease becomes a silent fire threat. As a certified exhaust cleaning specialist and business coach who has helped hundreds of institutional facilities achieve NFPA 96 compliance, I emphasize that proactive grease management isn’t optional; it’s a core fire/life safety practice.

  • Baton Rouge Center for Visual and Performing Arts

    Baton Rouge Center for Visual and Performing Arts

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The Baton Rouge Center for Visual and Performing Arts has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of New Construction.

  • William Penn Charter School

    Richard A. Balderston OPC’69 Lower School

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The Richard A. Balderston OPC’69 Lower School has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of New Construction.