School Security


Back to School

EDUCATIONAL institutions don’t often come to mind when people think about organizations with cutting edge network security devices. However, these institutions face the daunting task of keeping the networks secure while allowing tens of thousands of students and faculty to bring their own PCs onto the network. They also have to account for a user base that changes by several users on an annual basis.

Smile, You’re on Surveillance Camera

WHEN a student tried to steal a triple-beam balance from Jackie Steinocker’s science classroom, the principal needed the school's surveillance cameras to document the student hiding it in a dumpster. The student had a friend distract the teacher’s attention as he hid the scientific scale under a winter jacket at the end of science class.

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IT networks at today’s colleges and universities are more distributed than ever. Academic networks that spread out allow students and teachers to communicate and interact in new and exciting ways.

Highest Honors

THE quality of academic programs has become a significant competitive factor among high schools in recent years. This is particularly evident in top private schools like St. John Vianney High School in Holmdel, N.J., a co-ed, Catholic high school operated by the diocese of Trenton.

The Last Word

WHILE school security in the United States continues to be a major concern, schools all over the world are overcoming numerous challenges to create a safe learning environment for students.

Going Above and Beyond

LAST year's wave of school shootings garnered tremendous media attention and left the nation shaken and concerned for the safety of students and staff.

One In the Same

AS security issues continue to filter down through the American educational landscape, almost all educational institutions are responding to the need for security. From small, rural public schools to large universities, advanced security technologies are being applied in waves.

Getting Carded

IN recent years, investigative reporters have uncovered security vulnerabilities in what are believed to be closely monitored applications: school buildings. In too many instances, investigators are able to slip into school buildings without being stopped, and administrators find out about the security breach on the evening news.



An Advanced Class

Oftentimes, adults find themselves daydreaming of the days of their youth. Most children long for the day when they're no longer a child. They long for the freedom, fun and excitement believed to come with adulthood.

Ready and Waiting

THICK, dusty, three-ring binders are no place to keep school emergency response protocols. In the event of an emergency, information and time is critical. Precious time can be lost in locating the binder, flipping through the tabs to find the correct section and finally finding the vital information. And what if an evacuation is necessary? Lug the binder out and start the information search all over again during different stages of the emergency? Even then, its contents are only as good as the people who wrote the information, limited to how much the binder can hold and only accessible to those on site.

Child's Play

"DON'T you love it when a plan comes together?" said Sean Mullin, president of BI2 Technologies and founder of The CHILD Project<sup>TM</sup>, a secure, nationwide network and registry that enables law enforcement and social service agencies to positively identify missing children and adults using iris recognition biometric technology.

Backbone for Surveillance

THE Mount Vernon City School District is located in the southeastern corner of Westchester County, N.Y., operating 15 schools with an enrollment of more than 10,000 students.

Making the Grade

TO create a safe school environment that allows teachers and students to focus on learning, the Palm Beach County, Fla., School District created the Safe Schools Institute (SSI).

Editor's Note

STUDENTS should be safe and feel secure in a learning environment. However, in the last few years, some schools have been anything but safe and secure. Some have been shooting galleries for terrorists, and it shouldn't be this way on any campus.

Phone Home

A reliable communication system is the backbone of any school security program. The placement of emergency phones on a college campus has long ceased to be an issue.

A Hard-Learned Lesson

DO not let the semi-rural setting fool you. Lebanon High School in Oregon, with 1,250 students, grapples with the same problems that plague large, inner-city schools.

Moving in the Right Direction

OREGON State University has made fire and life safety a real priority.

An A+ System

Since DSU uses safety as a differential in recruiting students, it is the responsibility of the DSU Police Department to maintain a safe environment for the campus community. For effective and efficient operation, the campus police found it needed a way to streamline its operations.

A Lesson on Wireless

ESTABLISHED in 1844 and designated a University Center of the State University of New York in 1962, the University of Albany's broad mission of excellence in undergraduate and graduate education, research and public service engages 17,000 diverse students in nine schools and colleges across three campuses.

Security Hits the Books

MAJOR cyber security breaches at higher education institutions have garnered headlines over the last couple years. Obviously, IT security continues to be a major challenge for colleges and universities.

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