Page 25 - Campus Security & Life Safety, November 2017

administrators so they can immediately intervene and respond to before the bullying gets out of hand.
The Bullying Incident Management System (BIMS) is another type of solution that is ben- eficial for today’s schools and colleges. Stu- dents and their parents are given the ability to anonymously report bullying through a mobile application to school officials who have access to a management portal for responding and addressing bullying inci- dents. This allows students, parents and administrators to partner in the fight against bullying. This type of system provides stu- dents who are scared the ability to speak up with an opportunity to still stand up for themselves and put a stop to their bullying.
Another viable tool meeting administra- tors’ needs in being aware of bullying activity are bullying detection sensors. New York schools have already started deploying our newest technology, Fly Sense, which includes new sensors in bathrooms and remote loca- tions that detect if bullying or fighting activity is occurring. These sensors work on sound wave technology that learn the pattern of sound over time and then pick up on anoma- lies. If there is a fight or yelling that is out of the normal school officials are notified in three to five seconds for immediate response.
The explosion of sensor technology and the IOT (Internet of Things) that is being embraced by today’s education sectors has changed the way people collect environmen- tal data. We at Digital Fly have the ability to learn more than ever before about our sur- rounding environments. The information to be found in bathrooms, locker rooms, remote locations and otherwise previously unmoni- tored places provides comprehensive and actionable insights for virtually any institu- tion, business or organization that they can use for making more informed decisions and taking more effective actions.
As a school anti-bullying leader and anti- bullying technology provider, the biggest bul- lying problem I see happening in schools and colleges is cyberbullying and bullying on campus in locations where it is challenging to place cameras, such as bathrooms. Adminis- trators continually ask for tools that provide alerts when a bullying event is potentially occurring. With cyberbullying, the bullying takes place off school grounds, yet schools are finding themselves responsible.
This being the case, it is critical those administrators have tools working in the background that send actionable information back to them so they are aware of bullying
activity, mentions of suicide or self-harm, even when this is happening off school grounds. Schools asking for automation are also looking for solutions where they cannot place a camera or staff. Our Fly Sense product was specifically created to meet this need.
We are at a time where technology has exacerbated the bullying problem. However, it is also technology that is providing a critical factor in the solution to reducing and poten- tially eliminating bullying. Through the emergence of new advanced security and bul- lying detection technologies, today’s colleges
and students are empowered with greater information, the ability to respond and the ability to investigate bullying.
Technology is also making it harder for the bullies to hide from repercussions and accountability.
Derek Peterson is the CEO and founder of Digital Fly, a nationally respected school safety products and technology developer.
Go to sp.hotims.com and enter 703 for product information.
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CAMPUS SECURITY & LIFE SAFETY