Page 3 - School Planning & Management, May 2017

NEWS & VIEWS { FACILITIES | SECURITY | TECHNOLOGY | BUSINESS } Alabama School
Ask the Expert
This Month
Emergency Communications
WHAT DO WE ALREADY HAVE THAT CAN IMPROVE SAFETY?
MORE THAN LIKELY, YOU HAVE YOUR PHONE
within a few feet of you. This is becoming a critical tool for today’s campuses in keeping students safe. Technology now exists that
can send alerts directly to a phone that’s connected to the Wi-Fi, which means students and teachers can stay connected to what’s going on in the event of an emergency.
Mobile devices that are connected on a school’s Wi-Fi are using real-time location sys- tem (RTLS) technology, like when you “check- in” somewhere on Facebook. RTLS can track the movement of these devices (and therefore the person in possession of a device) within a facil- ity. When an emergency occurs, this technology can act as a two-way communication tool; first, by letting a mobile user know there’s an incident in progress and giving directions, such as “stay where you are,” and second, by allowing the mobile user to let the school know they’re safe and accounted for during the same incident.
We’re seeing that schools require a robust security posture for students, faculty, staff and visitors. Parents and law enforcement are demanding an advanced level of protection
in the event of a threat. Installing this kind of technology is cost-effective because it doesn’t require anything more than a Wi-Fi signal to operate. The software can be uploaded to a se- curity official’s or administrator’s computer or mobile device to allow operability and active monitoring, and a school can provide standard operating procedures for teachers directly on a device to help streamline the process during an emergency. The platform can also be used as a communication tool for routine messages, such as a closure or delay due to weather, help- ing operations run more smoothly.
>> Jana Rankin is the co-founder and CEO of PinPoint Initiative, the market’s first emergency management and asset protection solution built on real-time location system (RTLS) technology. She can be reached at info@pinpointi.com.
Rises From Ruins
>> A few years after an EF4 tornado ripped apart the Alberta Elementary School in Tuscaloosa, Ala., the reimagined and redesigned Alberta School of Performing Arts has reopened. The new school serves the elementary schoolchildren of the Alberta area, but with a new performing arts component available to all children in Tuscaloosa in grades 4 through 8. The school has a citywide enrollment capacity of 540 students study- ing various aspects of theatre, dance, visual arts, instrumental music and vocal perfor- mance. The 114,000-square-foot facility nearly doubles the size of the original school and now includes a storm shelter wing and meets all IBC and energy code requirements.
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WHITE PAPERS
Case Study: University Sports Arena Retrofit — Visit webspm.com/whitepapers/2017/04/ sports-arena-retrofit
Education Resources for 3D Printing — Visit webspm.com/whitepapers/2017/01/ 3d-printing
Getting out of the 1960s: New thinking needed for Locker Room Showers — Visit webspm.com/whitepapers/2016/11/locker-room-showers
MAY 2017 / SCHOOL PLANNING & MANAGEMENT 3
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