Printers Increasing Security
Ohio schools bring security innovations to students and teachers
- By Eric Widlitz
- Jul 01, 2013
Dayton Public Schools (DPS) cover about 53
square miles in Ohio. This school system is comprised
of 30 buildings and special centers, with
approximately 15,000 students in pre-kindergarten
through high school. As an urban district,
DPS brings innovative students and teachers
together to develop productive citizens,
ready to serve their communities. Core to
achieving this mission is ensuring that students
arrive at their school and classes on time and
ready to learn.
Student Check-in Process
DPS had a few sporadic ID system capabilities throughout the district;
however, this made it difficult to implement standard process improvements
that would speed up the creation of new IDs at the beginning of
each school year. Additionally, DPS needed to expedite the check-in of
tardy students, enabling them to arrive at their classes faster.
For managing tardy students, the schools traditionally used manual
processes that used handwritten passes, but these were inefficient.
Seeking to streamline the process, the school district needed to institute
a universal, mandatory student ID system that allowed for the
improvement of student attendance across the district while enhancing
the security of its students and visitors.
While attending the Ohio eTech conference in early 2011, DPS
learned about PlascoID, an authorized HID Global Fargo integrator
and leading provider of card-based ID systems. PlascoID demonstrated
HID’s Fargo desktop card printers and their automated student
tracking management system, PlascoTrac, as a possible solution to the
challenges DPS was facing. Because the printers and software integrated
seamlessly with eSchoolPlus, the school system’s existing web-based,
student-information system, DPS selected PlascoID to help
streamline its attendance processes.
Chosen Hardware and Software
HID products, including the DTC4500 card printer/encoder, non-technology
cards and Asure ID Enterprise card personalization software,
were recommended by PlascoID to support the creation of efficient,
multipurpose IDs. This software would enable the school system
to create customized student ID cards, while the printers would allow
campus officials at each school location to instantly issue all student
IDs. The printer’s modular design and small footprint also were ideal
features for the school environment, where space is at a premium.
Prior to the start of the 2012 school year, DPS implemented the
solution in just two weeks, installing the PlascoTrac system with 31
DTC4500 printers and Asure ID Enterprise software to be used on the
first day of the new academic year.
With the new DTC4500 printers and Asure ID software, DPS can now:
- Print a high volume of cards at fast print speeds. Every year,
15,000 IDs are needed by DPS during the first week of school. The
DTC4500 meets this challenge by quickly and reliably producing
large quantities of cards with high-quality images. Able to withstand
the day-to-day wear and tear by students, these new IDs are now
also uniform in image quality, design and durability.
- Save money and training time. The modestly-priced DTC4500 has
an intuitive set up and is easy to use. Already optimized for organizations
like DPS, the printer is a high-security, high-performance
ID issuance system that does not require large capital investments
or extensive training by system operators.
- Prepare for future ID card needs. The DTC4500 is field upgradeable.
As DPS student ID system changes and evolves, the school
system can modify their printers to fit new requirements.
- Achieve multiple uses with a single software application. With
Asure ID Enterprise software, DPS is able to easily design card templates,
enter student data, create photo ID badges and use.
Badging Every Student
With this combined solution from PlascoID and HID Global, DPS can
now easily and quickly provide all students with IDs during the first
week of the new school year. And if a student loses his or her badge, or
a newly-enrolled student needs an ID, a replacement can be created
and issued that same day.
The newly-designed DPS student ID is a white card featuring the
district’s logo and mission statement. Visual security elements include
a large, color photo of the student and his/her name printed in large
font on the front of the card, so school staff can easily identify students.
The ID also includes a barcode that is used with the PlascoTrac system,
so when a student arrives late to school or is tardy to a class, his or her
badge is barcode scanned into PlascoTrac and a tardy pass is printed
automatically.
With this new student ID system, processing tardy students now
takes 25 to 35 percent less time than before.
found that the new HID and PlascoID solution gives even greater
functionality and versatility. Some schools within the district have tied
the new ID cards to their media center for checking
out books and tracking lunches purchased in
the cafeteria. Elementary schools are exploring
ways to use the IDs to encourage positive reinforcement
of good behaviors.
This article originally appeared in the July 2013 issue of Security Today.
About the Author
Eric Widlitz is Vice President of North America Sales for Vanderbilt.