Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Can Technology Make Schools Safer?

  • By Chris Holbert
  • 02/01/18

Safety in schools is a topic heard often in the news, which raises questions about what can be done to further safeguard the learning environment. According to the Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2016, 65 percent of public schools recorded one or more violent incidents during the 2013-14 school year.

If an attack is threatened or occurs at school, teachers could be alone with a student or unable to notify school authorities that an event is taking place. Typically, a teacher would have to use a phone to make a call or unlock their cell phone to send a text or email. Some schools also use handheld radios to create direct lines of communication. But, all of these options create an obvious visual or audio signal to an attacker that the incident is being reported.

An alternative solution schools should consider for classroom safety is a mobile personal emergency response (mPERS) device. Sometimes referred to as a mobile panic button, these devices are small and lightweight. They can be placed under the desk where they are permanently on. They can be set to “covert” mode where alarms and send immediately with the press of a button. A one-way voice channel is started where trained emergency response operators can clearly hear what is happening, though there is no sound coming from the device.

The mPERS device, can be mobile if the administrator or teacher needs to take it with them on the move. Most devices have days of battery life and can track the whereabouts of the carrier, while keeping the phone call or “voice channel” open for the emergency response team.

In an emergency, a simple press of the single button on the device will send an SOS alert to school authorities or multiple teams, if that is needed. Simultaneously, a phone call is made to trained emergency operators who can assess the situation, locate the individual pressing the button using GPS and other technologies, and dispatch the right assistance quickly.

This article originally appeared in the School Planning & Management February 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

About the Author

Chris Holbert, is CEO of SecuraTrac. Find out more at www.securatrac.com.

Featured

  • Virginia Tech Tops Out New College of Engineering Building

    Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., recently celebrated the topping out of Mitchell Hall, which will soon stand as the largest College of Engineering building on campus, according to a news release. The university partnered with Skanska on the 285,500-square-foot facility, which has an expected completion date of winter 2028.

  • St. Lucie County, Fla., Breaks Ground on New K–8 School

    St. Lucie Public Schools in St. Lucie County, Fla., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new K–8 school, according to a news release. The district partnered with Spiezle Architectural Group, Inc., for the design of the upcoming Ft. Pierce K–8 School, which comprises six buildings covering 215,000 square feet.

  • Wyoming District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    Laramie County School District #1 in Cheyenne, Wy., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the upcoming Mountain View Elementary School, according to a news release. The facility has an estimated completion date of summer 2028, and it will have the capacity for 650 students in fifth and sixth grade.

  • URI Cuts Underwater Ribbon on New Ocean Robotics Laboratory

    The University of Rhode Island recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Ocean Robotics Laboratory at its Narragansett Bay Campus, according to a news release. Two students used a remotely operated vehicle to cut an underwater ribbon in a 30-by-20-foot test tank.