Due to the recent rise in school violence and shootings, there has been deep concern for the safety of children while attending school. One school board in Canada has used both VCR & DVR captured recordings in the past in order to secure and monitor daily activities within the school and on school grounds. With a total of 48 schools in the district and more than 108,000 students enrolled this year alone, the York Region District School Board has many young faces in need of protection. The Board oversees over 300 schools and has opened a total of 48 schools since September 2000. A total of 27 schools have completed major security additions to meet the rapidly increasing demand for classroom peace.

After a thorough investigation, comparison and trial of several digital video security solutions, the recommendation of the York Region District School Board’s systems consultant, IBI Group, was to choose a digital video security solution that combined digital video surveillance with video analytics, and suggested i³DVR’s digital video security solution. The Board, along with IBI Group, selected one of i³DVR International’s newest products, SRX-Pro. The Board decided to completely upgrade 27 of the schools. This current upgrade will allow for data analyzation that will contribute to the students’ public safety strategy, and determine the possibility of future upgrades.

According to David Neale, senior manager of administrative services, it was the ability to incrementally grow into IP technology that allowed the Board the ability to leverage its existing investment in CCTV equipment, while also taking advantage of the new technology.

Cameras will be used to monitor school grounds as well as the interior of each facility, a security combination that has proven to be extremely effective in helping to provide a safe and supportive school environment.