Page 120 - Security Today, May/June 2019

"Fortunately, legislation and technology are coming together to give schools the funding and tools they need to proactively fight back..."
By John Carter
Getting Ahead of Trouble
Artificial intelligence for safer schools
artificial intelligence
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campuslifesecurity.com | MAY/JUNE 2019
Everyday nearly 75 million students attend school and rely on administrators to keep them safe. Unfor- tunately, too many tragic school shootings have shown educators and parents that what is currently in place is simply too little, too late. Much more needs to be done to protect our children. The good news is that in 2019 alone, lawmakers across the country introduced nearly 250 school safety bills to help prevent or mitigate the next mass tragedy on a campus.
Recently in Texas, lawmakers held hearings on safety proposals among schools and students impacted by gun violence. The proposals that earned the most support of lawmakers included those that strengthen security and mental health initiatives in schools. They also agreed that campuses need to have programs in place to ensure a quicker response when school shootings happen, and that lawmakers
need to take steps to help prevent those shootings from happening in the first place.
On the national level, the Trump administration’s 2020 budget includes a $200 million increase in funding for school safety with pro- grams aimed to prevent, mitigate or respond to violence. Thankfully, school safety issues are front and center at both the state and national levels. While tremendous progress is being made, more action can be taken at the local school district level to ensure school safety by mod- ernizing physical security with the help of artificial intelligence.
Connecting the Dots with A.I.
According to Benjamin Franklin, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” The programs and bills all seek to find a cure to school violence, but the key is in early detection and warning signs. Artificial intelligence, and its ability to integrate predictive insights with physi-