Add as a preferred source on Google

What Do We Already Have That Can Improve Safety?

  • By Jana Rankin
  • 05/01/17

More than likely, you have your phone within a few feet of you. This is becoming a critical tool for today’s campuses in keeping students safe. Technology now exists that can send alerts directly to a phone that’s connected to the Wi-Fi, which means students and teachers can stay connected to what’s going on in the event of an emergency.

Mobile devices that are connected on a school’s Wi-Fi are using real-time location system (RTLS) technology, like when you “checkin” somewhere on Facebook. RTLS can track the movement of these devices (and therefore the person in possession of a device) within a facility. When an emergency occurs, this technology can act as a two-way communication tool; first, by letting a mobile user know there’s an incident in progress and giving directions, such as “stay where you are,” and second, by allowing the mobile user to let the school know they’re safe and accounted for during the same incident.

We’re seeing that schools require a robust security posture for students, faculty, staff and visitors. Parents and law enforcement are demanding an advanced level of protection in the event of a threat. Installing this kind of technology is cost-effective because it doesn’t require anything more than a Wi-Fi signal to operate. The software can be uploaded to a security official’s or administrator’s computer or mobile device to allow operability and active monitoring, and a school can provide standard operating procedures for teachers directly on a device to help streamline the process during an emergency. The platform can also be used as a communication tool for routine messages, such as a closure or delay due to weather, helping operations run more smoothly.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

About the Author

Jana Rankin is the co-founder and CEO of VuTeur, the market's first emergency management and asset protection solution built on real-time location system (RTLS) technology. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Different Starting Points, Same End Goal

    Higher education campuses can enhance student experience by implementing mobile credentials to streamline building access, on-campus payments, and access to other amenities. This enables students to connect to their campuses through the technology they use most: their mobile devices.

  • 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.

  • DLR Group Appoints New K–12 Education Practice Leader

    Integrated design firm DLR Group recently announced that it has named its new global K–12 Education leader, Senior Principal Carmen Wyckoff, AIA, LEED AP, according to a news release. Her teams have members in all 36 of the firm’s offices in the U.S., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Europe, and Asia.

  • Texas State University Completes Stadium Renovations

    Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, recently announced that it has completed a series of additions and renovations to its football stadium, according to a news release. Formerly known as the Bobcat Stadium End Zone Complex, the Johnny and Nathali Weisman Football Performance Center is an 85,000-square-foot expansion featuring hospitality spaces, banquet spaces, exterior concourses, and upgrades to the field house.

Digital Edition