Page 32 - spaces4learning, Fall 2024

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IoT Smart Sensor Helps West Coast School District Win The War On Vaping
From coast to coast, vaping at schools has become a serious
epidemic in our country. With many schools doing their best
to create their own solution to the problem, some are rising
above by doing their due diligence and researching the various
vape detection systems out there to solve this epidemic once
and for all. When Green Dot Public Schools in California started
experiencing a high rate of vaping in their middle schools and
high schools, the administrators kne it as time to nd the
right vaping solution. Today, the Green Dot School District has
successfully grown to serve 13,000 students within 11 high
schools and 7 middle schools across Los Angeles. Each school
has on average between 400-700 students and the school
district has 1100 staff members. However, with their growth
also came its set of challenges which included vaping.
The goal of any campus-style setting is to create a safe and
secure environment for students to learn and have a highquality
education. Having a simple, easy-to-use way of monitoring
school grounds is essential to give peace of mind when it
comes to safety and security. Green Dot School District puts
a high priority on the well-being of its students and found it
very hard to control the vaping epidemic at their middle and
high schools. “We wanted to deter students from engaging in
behavior that is bad for their health,” states Kaleem Ansari,
Coordinator of Security at Green Dot Public Schools. “We knew
that the only ay to accomplish this as by nding a multi
purpose security solution that could be used in areas not covered
by traditional surveillance cameras due to privacy concerns, like
bathrooms.” After researching various vape detection sensors,
one clearly stood out from the crowd.
The school quickly made the decision to move forward and
implement IPVideo, A Motorola Solutions Company’s HALO
IoT Smart Sensor. “We really liked the versatility of the sensor
and all the different applications in addition to vape detection,
especially air quality monitoring, gunshot detection, and its
masking capabilities,” says Ansari.
Teamwork Proves Successful in The Battle Against Vaping
or schools, having the right team in place to ght the vaping
epidemic is critical. It takes collaboration with experienced
security and safety experts to make an action plan work. Green
ot California Schools as lucky enough to nd this ith
IPVideo, A Motorola Solutions Company and ICU Technologies
who joined forces to help the school district successfully stop
the vaping epidemic.
It all started back in the spring of 2022 when a walk-through at
the school was conducted by ICU to determine the best course
of action. “Schools have the illusion of choice when it comes to
vape detection. There is no better solution out on the market
today than the HALO IoT Smart Sensor,” states Jason Eatmon,
Chief perience fcer at ICU Technologies. Schools should
only use HALO to expand the momentum of solving the vaping
epidemic once and for all.” And that’s what Green Dot Public
Schools was looking to do when it selected the HALO sensor.
ICU has been an integrator for IPVideo, A Motorola Solutions
Company for the past two years and has done its due diligence
on vape detection sensors. “After a thorough evaluation, we
knew that HALO is the only choice for schools,” says Eatmon.
The project consisted of 56 HALO sensors being installed in
restrooms at 11 of the 18 schools that make up Green Dot
Public Schools in California. ICU managed the entire instal-
lation from beginning to end which included working with a
cabling company to deploy the sensors in the bathrooms. After
the installation, ICU worked closely with the school’s security
and IT teams to congure all sensors and provide training to
administrators and staff members. “What made this project a
huge success was the effective communication from all parties
involved,” says Eatmon.
HALO Creates Bright Future for CA School District
As of now, Green Dot Public Schools is only using sensors to
detect vaping. However, the next step in the evolution is turning
on additional functions such as integrating the sensors with
their current camera system and using other applications. This
includes spoken keyword, gunshot detection, and aggression
(decibel detection). HALO also offers 3 ways to detect tampering
and alerts administrators immediately if a student is trying to
tamper with the device. “IPVideo, A Motorola Solutions Company
and ICU Technologies made the vape sensor project a seam-
less collaboration,” says Ansari. “Our schools are now equipped
to effectively manage vape detection and decrease the amount
of vape incidents.” One of the main reasons why the school
district selected HALO was having the ability to utilize HALO for
other applications in the future which was a big plus for the
school.
Since the vape detection system went live in the summer of
2022, the school district has received numerous alerts when a
student is vaping on campus and corrective action has taken
place. “We are extremely happy that Green Dot Public Schools
put their faith in HALO to help them eliminate vaping once
and for all,” said David Antar, General Manager at IPVideo, A
Motorola Solutions Company. “We look forward to helping them
address any other challenge that arise in the future and will
be on hand to address all their safety concerns with just one
device.” Immediate plans at the school include installing 8 more
HALO sensors in the high school bathrooms. The battle against
vaping in our country is still going strong and schools need to
use Green Dot Public Schools as a role model on how to be
proactive in solving the problem with the right technology and
people behind you.
631-969-2601 | info@ipvideocorp.com | 1490 N. Clinton Ave. Bay Shore NY