While every industry or field embraces various security technologies, schools can’t afford to be left behind in the trend. Education is crucial to everyone’s life, whether in elementary, junior high, high school or furthering one’s studies after post-secondary. Students must be protected from various insecurities while attending school.
Technology in schools continues to develop with newer and better solutions for the esteemed learners and staff. By strategically embracing and combining these technologies, safety in schools will remain unmatchable. Here are various schools and technology trends regarding security.
Weapon Detection Technology
The school is diversified as it welcomes individuals of different purposes and ages. Anyone can bring a weapon to students, teachers, drivers, visitors, parents, faculty members, security personnel, and more.
Today, nearly every school has embraced weapon detection technology, allowing the security team to screen everyone entering the premises to identify concealed weapons. The technology automatically identifies weapons, offering real-time data. These school security solutions are also more effective than traditional searching as they are touchless, easily installable, robust, cost-effective, and instant.
Education on General Security
Another effective security trend that most schools have adopted is incorporating general security education into their curriculum. Schools become a safe environment when every student, teacher, and other staff knows their responsibility for security. Schools have recently added security matters into their education system to educate students at different levels regarding various measures and procedures.
Cyber-Security Measures
Insecurity issues as schools don’t always have to be physical. Cybersecurity is alive and could cause significant disasters in schools if it occurs. As schools embrace other security measures, they haven’t forgotten to adapt technologies to strengthen the safety of their students’ and staff’s sensitive data.
Some cyber-security measures that seek to shield schools against ransomware attacks, identity theft, and data breaches include access control, network segmentation, data encryption, strong passwords, anti-virus software, and firewalls.
Artificial Intelligence
Nearly every other sector has embraced Artificial Intelligence even if it’s not on its security measures. Today, schools have incorporated Artificial Intelligence technology through various security measures such as facial recognition of everyone entering the premises.
Artificial Intelligence-powered software applications or chatbots can enable students or staff to report security concerns unidentified. Other ways that today’s schools have incorporated Artificial Intelligence in improving security include AI data analysis, automatic emergency alerts, and nearby gunshot detection.
Visual Panic/ Behavioral Analysis
Schools have adopted visual panic or behavioural analysis technology among students, staff, and visitors to enhance security within the school premises. Artificial Intelligence can help identify unusual behaviours that pose high-security threats to learners and staff.
These could include excessive loitering near the restricted school areas and initiating voluntary noises to cause distraction. This technology partners with predictive analysis, which seeks to detect potential security issues by analyzing the prevailing conditions.
Video Surveillance Technology
Video surveillance plays a vital role in improving security in schools. Today, you’ll likely find no school without an active video surveillance system across its structures. Even better, schools have replaced the traditional open CCTV cameras with hidden and improved ones for better security.
Through Artificial Intelligence, modern security cameras can detect suspicious behaviours and anomalies and record real-time data. Furthermore, the cameras boast higher resolution than their counterparts, offering more detailed data during emergencies and security reviews.
Mental Health Support
Years back, mental support was the most overlooked security measure in schools. However, today’s schools have changed history by incorporating mental health support programs in their education system.
Acknowledging the need for mental health support in schools reinforces the other security measures. Mental health support as a security technology trend involves physical and virtual counselling services, student support applications and chatbots, and continued behavioural analysis of students and staff.
Mass Notification on Security Concerns
Mass notification on security concerns is another effective trend that many schools have embraced to improve security in institutions. This technique involves delivering instant or timely notification to nearly every parent, teacher, and staff within the school in case of a security threat or emergency.
However, delivering the information formally or less disturbingly is vital to avoid filling the recipients with fear and worry. The school administration can facilitate mass notification on security concerns through various communication channels such as SMS, WhatsApp, or emails. A loudspeaker can be used for immediate parties to deliver quick information regarding certain insecurity concerns.
Visitor Management and Access Control
Visitor management is a security technology trend adopted by various schools. It ensures a smooth and accurate check-in process for everyone entering the school premises while implementing the authorized-only policy. That way, there’ll be no cases of unauthorized entry into schools.
This technique also provides accurate and adequate data regarding all school visitors. On the other hand, access control prevents unauthorized entry into various areas but with more improved technologies. They include applying proximity sensors, biometric identification, and keycards to enhance security.
