If you have school-age children, you as a parent, are now facing a critical decision of whether to send your kids back to school in a physical classroom or if the option is available, have them begin the semester with a virtual-learning program. In the county in which I live about 35 miles north of Atlanta, parents aren’t being given a choice since the county superintendent has decided to give the “all clear” for students, teachers, and staff to resume normal operations – no masks required.
This “damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead” philosophy is certainly not one that I endorse and it has already put me at odds with some of my anti-masker neighbors who figure the idiom, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is for snowflakes. My wife and I are thankful that our daughter has long since left the school system, but even she is not immune as she begins law school this month sheltering at home with us and taking her studies online. Needless to say, the 2020-21 school year is not what any of us anticipated in early spring.
For security and risk mitigation solution providers, school safety is always a front of mind topic when they are consulting with administrators – unless you live in my district. In most enlightened metro-Atlanta school districts, e-learning has been adopted to open the year. Which, according to Amy Jeffs, Vice President at Status Solutions, a company known to be a pioneering provider of situational awareness technologies for life safety, security, environmental monitoring and mass notification, is a good move since it buys schools extra time to make the necessary security and safety changes to ensure a low-risk return once the coronavirus curve flattens and CDC guidelines for schools reopening can be safely achieved.
“Many of these guidelines can be met with the implementation and use of technology. This technology may already be existing in many schools, or simply need an upgrade; either way, it’s an investment that should be a priority right now,” Jeffs says. “For example, one of the CDC’s guidelines states that schools should conduct daily health checks including temperature screening. One way schools can do this is through thermal imaging technology. Thermal imaging can help detect anyone inside of the school that has an elevated temperature. This is more beneficial than physically taking each individual student and staff member’s temperature once a day since thermal imaging allows for continuous monitoring. A student or staff member may show a normal temperature when they arrive at school but develop an elevated temperature throughout the school day and not know it, and with a once-a-day temperature check this will go unnoticed, but, with thermal imaging, this will still be detected.”
Jeffs adds that thermal imaging may also serve as a way for staff to be quickly alerted when an elevated temperature is detected and who was detected. When combined with an alerting platform, thermal imaging allows the school to act on this information immediately rather than simply having a log of whether or not an elevated temperature was detected.
“To specify alerts, even more, facial recognition software can be used to identify the exact person who was identified. For instance, a staff member can receive an alert that student Jane Doe may have an elevated temperature, and with this information, staff can take the proper steps to limit potential spread by isolating that student and conducting further screening or conducting other protective measures,” explains Jeffs, adding that the use of facial recognition combined with a video analytic can decrease the spread of COVID-19 by enhancing social distancing and limiting who is permitted into the building. This means that no one has to physically come to the entrance to identify or let the person in.
“Even if students aren’t in school, it’s important to take advantage of this time to ensure schools are more ready than ever for kids to return. Situations like this don’t wait, they happen whether we are prepared or not, so it’s best to prepare now and continue preparing. True safety is not achieved with a one and done system or a quick fix, but with vigilant effort to keep improving, enhancing, and innovating,” Jeffs says.
The new normal that is our new reality as a result of COVID-19 is not a passing fad. The scientific community warns that the next pandemic could be just around the corner and strike with even more ferocity. The security industry must dedicate itself to continued innovation and provide solutions that protect every citizen. Even those who refuse to help themselves.
