When voters in the Longview Independent School District (ISD) in east Texas approved a $266.8 million bond issue in 2008, it paved the way for construction of seven new elementary schools, three new middle schools and a complete renovation of Longview High School. Recognizing the critical need for a secure environment for students, staff and school visitors, the bond also provided funding for a new, district-wide video surveillance system.
With the overall greater focus on school security accelerated by a number of tragic headlines in the past few years, parents are looking to school districts for assurance that appropriate steps are being taken to keep children safe.
The university's recently accredited police force spurred on the school's board of trustees to unanimously vote to allow the campus officers to carry firearms.
Colorado’s Miami-Yoder School District has integrated its access control, intrusion and surveillance to secure the district’s new 91,000-square-foot facility in Rush, Colo. This integrated solution allows school officials to control entry to the building’s multiple entrances and access surveillance video footage of incidents as they unfold.
More than a third of adults involved in student transportation remember their school bus driver's name, according to a poll for First Student. Now and into the future, they will also acknowledge security cameras and their value on their buses. Besides providing a memorable experience, school buses are the safest way for children to get to and from school.
The district security head of Littleton Public Schools talks about the security transformation they took to create interoperability and communications between school officials and first responders.