High School District to Pump $600k into Smarter Surveillance System

The board of a California school system has approved funding to replace legacy security camera gear. West Sonoma County Union High School District awarded the $602,948 contract to Integrated Security Controls, a regional solution provider.

According to local reporting, the Santa Rosa company will be installing 96 cameras at three high schools, Analy, El Molino and Laguna, as well as software with analytics that will enable administrators to view what's happening at their schools.

During the meeting where the approval was given, facilities manager Jennie Bruneman told the board that the previous camera system was "very difficult to use," forcing users to manually look through footage to find what they needed. With the new equipment, users will be able to search on specific details — "a student wearing a ball cap and a red shirt" — and the analytics will identify that individual as he or she moves around the campus.

The Integrated Security solution was chosen after a pilot project that tested two companies' systems. The specific equipment being installed comes from Avigilon, a Motorola Solutions company.

The camera installation is expected to be done by the end of September, Bruneman told the board.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • classroom with crystal ball on top of a desk

    Call for Opinions: Spaces4Learning 2026 Predictions for Educational Facilities

    As 2025 winds to a close, the Spaces4Learning staff is asking its readers—school administrators, architects, engineers, facilities managers, builders, superintendents, designers, vendors, and more—to send us their predictions for educational facilities in 2026.

  • Malibu High School Campus Completes $102M Phase 1 of Construction

    Malibu High School in Malibu, Calif., recently announced that it has completed phase 1 of construction for its new campus, a news release reports. The first phase consisted of developing and modernizing the site of a former elementary school into a new, 70,000-square-foot, two-story facility.

  • Image credit: O

    Strategic Campus Assessment: Moving Beyond Reactive Maintenance in Educational Facilities

    While campuses may appear stable on the surface, building systems naturally evolve over time, and proactive assessment can identify developing issues before they become expensive emergencies. The question isn't whether aging educational facilities need attention. It's how institutions can transition from costly reactive maintenance to strategic asset management in a way that protects both budgets and communities.

  • textured paper collage shows a school building on fire as a fire truck sprays water into the flames

    Why a Fire Loss Is More than Flames

    We've all seen what fire damage can do to a property, but the types of damage building owners often encounter after a fire loss can exceed expectations. Having full awareness of the different forms of damage properties can sustain helps owners respond faster, reduce continued damage, and get back on the road to recovery in short order.

Digital Edition