John Bujarski, Vice President of Sales at IDIS Americas reveals how to safeguard K-12 schools and institutions area by area.
Almost all K-12 school environments share similar attributes including wide open exterior areas, numerous hallways, cafeterias, gyms and so on.
Yet, beneath this apparent uniformity, no two schools are exactly alike.
From the winding roads of rural campuses to the dense urban landscapes surrounding city schools, geography dictates layout, impacting everything from traffic flow to interior design.
This variability creates a patchwork of protection needs within a single school; securing a playground or athletic field in wide open spaces requires a different approach than monitoring narrow hallways.
This constantly shifting landscape presents a unique challenge for security teams: ensuring comprehensive video surveillance that adapts to these diverse environments while maintaining privacy in classrooms, restrooms and locker rooms where children and staff spend much of their day.
A one-size-fits-all approach to security doesn’t work for K-12 schools which present a host of challenges.
The diversity of exterior and interior locations requiring vigilant security therefore necessitates a tailored approach.
Custom-configured cameras or complex video analytics software may be necessary for securing certain sensitive location, but not for every nook and cranny across the diverse range of K-12 environments.
By carefully assessing each space and pinpointing its specific security requirements, schools can optimize resource allocation and achieve comprehensive surveillance while addressing fiscal responsibility.
A school environment is comparable to a fortress where penetration becomes increasingly difficult, with the most valuable assets typically located furthest from the perimeter and entry points.
As such, the video security measures deployed at each level serve different functions based on varying priorities.
The goal is to detect and mitigate potential threats at various levels or areas of protection while maintaining a friendly and “open” environment conducive to learning.
It’s important to note that there are no strict rules for selecting the best solutions for each area needing protection on a school campus or stand-alone building.
The following highlights select video surveillance technologies and products that are increasingly prevalent in K-12 school system deployments for consideration when evaluating your specific security needs.
To keep things simple, this article divides the campus into three basic areas: the perimeter (such as drop-off and loading zones), outdoor areas and interior locations.
However, when designing a school-wide surveillance solution, it’s advisable to subdivide these three primary areas into multiple sub-layers on a facility or building-by-building basis to address the specific challenges and needs of each location.
Using a multi-layered approach, let’s explore several critical areas of protection and the supporting surveillance technology most appropriate for each.
Perimeter security is crucial for protecting students and staff in K-12 schools.
Various technologies can be employed to ensure safety at the school’s boundary, with video surveillance playing a central role.
Here are some effective video solutions for robust protection for school drop-off, pickup and loading zones.
Today’s IP cameras feature technology that automatically identifies humans and vehicles from animals and/or objects that may be lurking beyond the perimeter of a school campus and trigger specific alarms or events.
For example, the security office using this type of camera can automatically sound an alarm if a car or human approaches the entrance of a campus during off hours.
Once detected, an alarm can be sounded to alert security personnel in a remote security operations center (SOC) of a potential intrusion, sound an audible alarm or strobe light at the site of the event or initiate some other predetermined action.
To help eliminate false alarms, these cameras can be masked to limit their detection range to include only very specific areas of interest not impacted by nearby roads, bicycle paths or other areas prone to high traffic.
IP cameras with detection capabilities provide significant cost savings for large schools and campuses by enabling users and administrators to leverage analytics on an as-needed basis.
Capturing and viewing clear images in low light or nighttime darkness is critical for school and campus security.
This can be achieved with affordable cameras that feature enhancements to exterior lighting and extended range capabilities.
Lightmaster technology, for example, can see through the darkness over long distances without needing additional lighting or creating artifacts like traditional cameras.
This helps deter vandalism and better protect students who may be in poorly lit areas after hours.
Beyond deterrence, it enhances security by capturing detailed images of culprits during incidents, aiding in school safety investigations and resolutions with local authorities.
Surveillance cameras with long-range viewing capabilities help support and enhance parking lot security.
Whether a game day or a typical school day, unauthorized vehicles can be denied entry and all vehicles can be tracked.
Cameras with license plate recognition (LPR) technology can also capture plate data to ensure offenders or unauthorized vehicles are prevented from entering or are easily removed from the premises.
Systems like these create added deterrence for those who may try to crash an event or create a diversion.
LPR data is also essential for forensic investigations, enabling security personnel to search video archives and track a vehicle’s activity over time on and around campus grounds.
Improving safety while reducing operations costs can be a reality for schools using video intercom solutions with two-way audio and access control.
With solutions that span applications, communications systems can be paired with access control and IP phones, enabling communication for deterrence and support without requiring a guard 24/7 to monitor the area.
K-12 campuses are expansive from playgrounds to athletic fields, courtyards and outdoor dining facilities.
To ensure the safety of students and staff in these campus areas, a combination of surveillance cameras and imaging technologies can ensure full visibility while maintaining cost efficiency.
Achieving 360° coverage is essential for extensive areas like playgrounds and athletic fields.
Fisheye and multi-sensor cameras provide comprehensive surveillance, significantly reducing the number of cameras required.
This approach enhances safety while optimizing resource allocation.
Multi-sensor cameras with electronic zoom enable detailed viewing of specific events, improving school safety investigations.
Additionally, some pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras offer broad situational awareness while tracking a particular vehicle or individual, capturing the larger scene and zooming in on potential suspects and precise details.
Cameras that can detect and differentiate humans from other objects support loitering detection.
This can be as simple as students congregating in off-limits areas, or vandals and other threat actors trying to get access to the campus.
Features like “trip detection” can provide security notifications to school security and administrators if someone crosses a preset area on a scene.
This feature could be used to prevent access to an area under construction, or an area that is off limits for scheduled events.
School interiors vary broadly and span a wide range of buildings and locations, from highly private areas like restrooms and locker rooms to admin/nurse’s offices, as well as auditoriums, libraries, science labs and classrooms.
Schools need cost-effective surveillance solutions that cover all lighting and aesthetic needs to ensure safety and protection of their most valuable assets.
Conducting a thorough site survey and needs analysis is essential to determine what is required and where it is needed most in a K-12 school environment.
With that in mind, here are a few critical technology considerations.
In environments subject to changing or varied lighting conditions, such as offices or classrooms affected by nearby shade or other factors, some devices won’t perform with limited natural light and supplemental lighting.
To capture complete visual clarity, modern surveillance cameras use a feature called wide dynamic range (WDR) that automatically compensates for changing lighting conditions including bright sunlight and shadowed areas.
Balancing exposure levels, WDR ensures clear and detailed image capture in classrooms and other interior areas, regardless of lighting challenges.
This technology helps protect administrators, teachers and students by preserving finer details and enhancing the discernment of crucial features and shapes in the video, ensuring a safer environment.
Common areas such as offices, cafeterias and libraries often require multiple cameras to provide comprehensive coverage in these high-traffic zones.
High-performance fisheye cameras excel here, enhancing security with fewer cameras and reducing overall product and installation costs, great for schools balancing budget and safety.
Their simple design offers effective and affordable surveillance solutions that present a win-win for students, staff and parents.
Today’s surveillance systems are paired with video management system (VMS) platforms, allowing administrators to view live and recorded video footage from anywhere, whether on a PC or iPad.
This supports real-time security 24/7, even during parent-teacher nights, spelling bees and sporting events that occur during nights and weekends.
When evaluating a VMS, schools should consider several factors including its scalability, system health monitoring and annual licensing fees to maximize effectiveness while lowering the total cost of ownership.
School administrators will want to ensure video and data captured by their video surveillance system are available for forensic review and evidence.
Safeguards to protect this data include network video recorders (NVRs)/servers with failover recording at strategic physical locations across a school.
Some cameras also feature on-board recording that can trigger an alert if the primary recorder goes down.
Systems employing distributed architecture where NVRs/servers with failover recording are strategically located at various physical locations across a campus ensure that video footage is being recorded.
You’ll want to ensure failover and failsafe recording are assured for continuous access to video data when needed.
Customized surveillance solutions help ensure safety and security across diverse K-12 facilities, from exterior playgrounds and parking lots to interior hallways and cafeterias.
By addressing specific security challenges in each area, K-12 schools can create a more secure and protected environment, while maintaining a welcoming atmosphere for both students and staff.
This article was originally published in the August edition of Security Journal Americas. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.
