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

  • Campus Safety Requires Using Every Resource Available

    Across the U.S., school and campus leaders are facing a security landscape that has changed dramatically over the past decade. Incidents on school property have increased in recent years, with several consecutive years setting record totals. According to analysis of data by CNN, dozens of shootings now occur on school grounds annually across K-12 and higher education environments.

  • Montclair State University Starts Construction on $120M STEM Building

    Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., recently broke ground on a new $120-million Interdisciplinary Science Building, according to university news. The university partnered with HoK Architects for the project’s design, and it’s scheduled to open in time for the 2028–29 academic year.

  • Classical building columns display digital data streams

    The Campus Nervous System: Why Facilities Risk Is Now a Leadership Issue in Higher Education

    Facility performance now intersects with safety, compliance, on-campus experience, institutional reputation, and financial resilience. That places it firmly on the leadership agenda.

  • GeoCam and UCLA: Modernizing Campus Accessibility Mapping

    In early 2025, UCLA partnered with GeoCam to capture and modernize its pedestrian infrastructure data. The goal was ambitious but clear: to produce a high-accuracy, imagery-backed digital map of every sidewalk, pathway, ramp, and ADA-related feature on UCLA’s 419-acre campus.