Seeing is believing: school districts are using high-tech, and low-tech, approaches to make sure students are safe. (Special section: school security).

Seeing is believing: school districts are using high-tech, and low-tech, approaches to make sure students are safe. (Special section: school security). When parents of students at New Egypt Elementary School elementary school:see school. in Plumsted Township, N.J., need to pick up their child for a doctor's appointment during the school day, many pause at the front door. They are prompted by a gentle, computerized voice and gaze upward into what may be the future of school security technology. In just a few seconds, a wall-mounted camera takes a picture of the parent's iris--the colored ring surrounding the eye's pupil--and matches its 247 distinct points in the school's database of registered parents. If a match is found, the front door unlocks and the parent can proceed to the office to check in. New Egypt's pilot program to test the iris-recognition access control system, used in tandem Adv. 1. in tandem - one behind the other; "ride tandem on a bicycle built for two"; "riding horses down the path in tandem"tandem with a video camera-buzzer system operated by an office secretary, is perhaps the most advanced school-security technology installed today. And the nearly $300,000 price tag on tag onVerbto add at the end of something: a throwaway remark, tagged on at the end of a casual conversationVerb 1. the system, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, is a new high-water mark high-water markn.1. Abbr. HWM A mark indicating the highest level reached by a body of water.2. The highest point, as of achievement; the apex. at New Egypt in terms of security investments. But school security experts and administrators across the country agree that as the demands of school security increase by the week, with fears of terrorism, bio-warfare and other attacks, technology is only one of the three main ingredients needed to create the safest schools possible. The other two--comprehensive written crisis plans and the invaluable boost in security that comes when adults develop positive relationships with students in their schools--aren't as sexy, or visible, but are perhaps more important. "Today's school administrator faces safety threats ranging from daily issues of bullying and aggressive behaviors, to potential extreme incidents of school shootings, sniper See sniping software. incidents and potentially being the target of terrorism," says Ken Trump, president of National School Safety and Security Services Security services are state institutions for the provision of intelligence, primarily of a strategic nature, but also including protective security intelligence. Examples include the Security Service (MI5) and the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) in the United Kingdom, and the . "Every school administrator must be able to answer two questions: What steps did we take to reduce the risks of crime and violence, and how well prepared are we to manage those incidents which cannot be prevented?" From James Bond to telephones Iris recognition Iris recognition is a method of biometric authentication that uses pattern recognition techniques based on high-resolution images of the irides of an individual's eyes. Not to be confused with another less prevalent ocular-based technology, retina scanning, iris recognition uses falls into the "James Bond-ish" category of new technology being used to enhance school security. But there are a whole host of more mundane devices that are being installed, or combined with existing systems, to give school security directors intimate knowledge of what's going on What's Going On is a record by American soul singer Marvin Gaye. Released on May 21, 1971 (see 1971 in music), What's Going On reflected the beginning of a new trend in soul music. at any time, in any building, in the district. The Spokane (Wash.) Public Schools, which have long been ahead of the curve when it comes to planning for school security, recently received voter approval for a $165 million bond measure that includes nearly $3 million for security up-grades at each of the district's 55 sites. The technological component of the plan calls for closed-circuit television cameras CCTV cameras can produce images or recordings for surveillance purposes, and can be either video cameras, or digital stills cameras. Video CamerasVideo cameras are either analogue or digital, which means that they work on the basis of sending analogue or digital signals , new door and window alarm systems, and a card-swipe system that will allow staff to gain keyless entry keyless entry:see lock and key. into all facilities after hours Adv. 1. after hours - not during regular hours; "he often worked after hours" . And while none of these systems alone are groundbreaking, Joe Madsen, director of safety, risk management, security and transportation, has a plan to tie all three systems together on the district's wide-area network. His vision is that if an alarm goes off at a building, school officials and local police will be able to go online and view which alarm is ringing, see the video from the cameras at that building, potentially hear audio from the building, and see which staff members have recently entered or left the facility. Staffers in the building might have noticed something suspicious, for example, or be in danger themselves. Some districts may go even farther than that. New Jersey-based Honeywell, known for its energy management technology, is working with one district in Indiana to combine the security, fire alarms, heating and air conditioning air conditioning,mechanical process for controlling the humidity, temperature, cleanliness, and circulation of air in buildings and rooms. Indoor air is conditioned and regulated to maintain the temperature-humidity ratio that is most comfortable and healthful. systems-along with smart cards Example of widely used contactless smart cards are Hong Kong's Octopus card, Paris' Calypso/Navigo card and Lisbon' LisboaViva card, which predate the ISO/IEC 14443 standard. The following tables list smart cards used for public transportation and other electronic purse applications. to be used for building access--for each of that district's 90 schools all onto one computer network. This type of system costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, but Honeywell prefers to discuss cost in terms of how much a district can save on energy and staff expenses. "From a productivity and efficiency standpoint, we're freeing up the staff to do other tasks," says Greg Taylor, a security solutions specialist with Honeywell. On the other hand, some very good technology solutions can be bought relatively cheaply. Robert Bruce The following have been known as Robert Bruce:Those belonging to the Bruce family of Scotland:Note: There are currently discrepancies between this list and the actual article contents. Campbell, superintendent of Pitman (N.J.) Public Schools, spent a total of $15,000 over two years to install cameras and intercoms along the main entryways of his district's five schools. "We try to do everything humanly hu��man��ly?adv.1. In a human way.2. Within the scope of human means, capabilities, or powers: not humanly possible.3. possible to make the schools as safe as [we] can, without bankrupting the taxpayers," says Campbell, who speaks nationally about how to make school security cost-effective but still effective. And while these systems help administrators deal with who, or what, may be in their buildings at any given time, other devices help manage student security. At Dr. Phillips High School Dr. Phillips High School is a high school located in Orlando, Florida.The area of Dr. Phillips, Florida is named after Dr. Philip Phillips, a physician who later became a Central Florida citrus magnate. in Orlando, Fla., some 3,800 students and a 65-acre campus directly abutting the Universal Studios theme park create a complex security environment. Assistant Principal Susan Averill uses golf carts, walkie-talkies, cell phones, pagers and the recent addition of Palm Pilots with TruSmart student locator software Locator software is an electronic commerce software module on a website that allows a visitor to find nearby stores and business locations. In its most common form, a visitor inputs a ZIP code and the locator returns all locations in a database within a specified radius. to cover the campus. The handheld devices hold not only student schedules, but also photographs and medical and contact information for each student. Locker combinations, license plate numbers, bus numbers, parking privileges, and other data can also be stored. Aside from helping staff to escort would-be class cutters back to their appropriate classes, the handheld student database would prove invaluable in a situation where buildings had to be evacuated and students accounted for, Averill says. This multi-layered communication scheme is typical of a trend toward making communication capabilities a first priority in terms of security-related equipment purchases. This includes phones in classrooms, two-way public address systems, two-way radios, cell phones for crisis team members, and even charged bullhorns in the event of an emergency. And while many of these technology investments provide both real and perceived security improvements, their effectiveness at this point is mostly anecdotal. In fact, the highlight of the New Egypt iris-recognition pilot project is not that the tiny district received such a large amount of money to invest in security. Rather, it's the adjacent $150,000 grant that went to an independent Maryland consultant to review the results of the project, for evaluation both by the Justice Department and the New Egypt school board. The report is due to be available this month. "The biggest problem I have with technology is a lot of time it's designed without a good understanding of schools," said William Modzeleski, associate deputy undersecretary of newly created Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools. "We really need to take a look at everything we're putting into schools, making sure there is some science behind what we're doing." The best plans go unused But more important, and much cheaper than investing in the latest security technology, is making sure the district has an all-hazards plan that is both comprehensive and practiced, experts say. "Every school in the country needs to have a disaster plan," says Modzeleski. "And it needs to cover not only what we found out alter Columbine columbine, in botanycolumbine(kŏl`əmbīn), any plant of the genus Aquilegia, temperate-zone perennials of the family Ranunculaceae (buttercup family), popular both as wildflowers and as garden flowers. , but reviewed and expanded to deal with the possibilities of a terrorist attack." The Spokane schools embrace this all-hazards approach, breaking their emergency management plans into three categories: crisis response, emergency response and disaster response. Though they are not mutually exclusive Adj. 1. mutually exclusive - unable to be both true at the same timecontradictoryincompatible - not compatible; "incompatible personalities"; "incompatible colors" , each has its own communications protocol Hardware and software standards that govern data transmission between computers. The term "protocol" is very generic and is used for hundreds of different communications methods. A protocol may define the packet structure of the data transmitted or the control commands that manage the . The other advantage to the all-hazards approach is that it is the same at each facility district-wide. The plan is updated and republished every summer; each administrator and crisis team member receives two copies, one for school and one for home. And though this approach has been in place for more than a decade, in 1997 the district hired an outside consultant to evaluate security and facilities at each school, including the surrounding environments, and then make recommendations. This gave administrators a coherent road map to follow when making improvements. At Pitman schools in New Jersey, students practice the procedures and precautions necessary in the event of a lockdown LockdownA specified period when an employee of a public company is barred from selling - and occasionally buying - their company's stock.Notes:These types of equity transaction restrictions can be imposed by securities regulators or underwriting firms if a company has , like moving to the center of the room and closing shades and windows, several times each year. "We make the lockdown procedure as routine as a fire drill," says Campbell. As crucial as they are, creating and practicing effective crisis plans are perhaps the cheapest component of creating a secure school environment that's prepared for emergencies. Updating the plans requires staff time, energy, and duplicating costs, plus "$20 a month to buy the coffee and doughnuts for the monthly meeting," Modzeleski says. The Antidote A compelling public service announcement on TV these days preaches that parental involvement in teenagers' lives is the anti-drug; by the same logic, administrative and staff involvement with students may be one of the best antidotes to school violence, experts say. Administrators and teaching staff have known this for ages, but now many districts are supplementing this approach through adding school resource officers to their security plan. The federal office of Community Oriented Policing Services This article is about Community Oriented Policing Services. For other uses of COPS or cops, see Cops. The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) is an agency within the United States Department of Justice. has funded more than 6,000 cops in schools since 1998, the year the program began, and recently announced another $20.5 million in funding for the hiring of additional officers, says Tim Quinn Tim Quinn is an Australian politician. His reign as Brisbane's Lord Mayor was one of the city's shortest. Quinn, part of the left wing faction of the Australian Labor Party, came to power after a factional deal by party officials following popular Lord Mayor Jim Soorley's , chief of staff at COPS. "We have heard of a number of different [positive] results where situations have been averted, or a SRO See Self-regulatory organization. SROSee self-regulatory organization (SRO). has intervened in a situation that may have escalated because of the communication and the positive nature of the interaction" between students and cops in schools, says Quinn. At Pitman, Campbell requires his building administrators to walk the grounds around their building each day and encourages all staff to be on the lookout for in search of; looking for.See also: Lookout unusual events or potential intruders. But no single tactic is the magic pill to increase school security. "It cannot be just about the school security officer, he or she will not be able to do it all. It cannot be all about discipline," says Madsen. "Safe schools require the integration of building design, parking lot design, policies and procedures Policies and Procedures are a set of documents that describe an organization's policies for operation and the procedures necessary to fulfill the policies. They are often initiated because of some external requirement, such as environmental compliance or other governmental , relationships with students." Other Realities Perhaps the two greatest political realities attached to school security is cost, which can run into the millions depending on district size, and the perceived need. The good news in the cost arena is that there are many federal grants available to fund security initiatives. But more importantly, parents and voters have come to realize, and even emphasize, the importance of school security. "One of the compelling things that has changed is that security has gone from being a negative sell to becoming a requirement, very much like lighting and heating now," says Joe Zeigler, marketing communications Marketing communications (or marcom) are messages and related media used to communicate with a market. Those who practice advertising, branding, direct marketing, graphic design, marketing, packaging, promotion, publicity, sponsorship, public relations, sales, sales manager at Honeywell. The other issue is fear that schools will come to resemble prisons and students will feel like inmates. "First and foremost, it's a school," says Madsen of Spokane. "It has to look like a school and feel like a school and education has to take place." That said, many parents are willing to make sacrifices. Now, the perceived importance of security even trumps privacy concerns that would have taken center stage a few years back. In New Egypt, project organizers were expecting about 100 parents to volunteer to participate in the iris recognition program. In short order, they had more than 300 volunteers. Parents were heard commenting that they'd sacrifice just about anything to improve the safety of their kids, says Phil Meara, assistant superintendent Assistant Superintendent, or Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), was a rank used by police forces in the British Empire. It was usually the lowest rank that could be held by a European officer, most of whom joined the police at this rank. . "The hardest part of the whole security issue is to continue your vigilance even though nothing happens," Campbell says. "The biggest mistake we could ever make is thinking, 'It can't happen (programming) can't happen - The traditional program comment for code executed under a condition that should never be true, for example a file size computed as negative. Often, such a condition being true indicates data corruption or a faulty algorithm; it is almost always handled here.'" Having a Safety Plan The latest trend in emergency crisis planning comes from lessons learned from the Sept. 11 attacks. Since then, districts are being asked to rethink their plans, add contingencies and new scenarios. For example, when Spokane revised its all-hazards plan last summer the district added two chapters, including one on dealing with possible anthrax anthrax(ăn`thrăks), acute infectious disease of animals that can be secondarily transmitted to humans. It is caused by a bacterium (Bacillus anthracis contamination. "In 1999, Columbine was one marking point where every school district in this country paused, and made changes," says William Modzeleski, associate deputy undersecretary of the federal Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools). "9-11 was another point where schools paused, and some decided to make changes." The federal government is now asking all districts to change their emergency plans, taking into account some lessons learned in the past two years. Among them: the need to create and rehearse multiple evacuation routes in case the primary route is inaccessible; planning for how to release students in an orderly fashion if hundreds of parents arrive to pick them up; also, what to do in an emergency where students must be kept on premises for an extended period of time. In addressing the last point many districts, including Pitman, have invested in a cache of shelf-stable foods that could be used to feed students for a day or more. The other major message coming from federal authorities is the need for districts to discuss and modify their plans with all the appropriate municipal, state or federal authorities. This requires going beyond an annual meeting with the local police and fire departments to getting to know FBI field agents in the area, homeland security Noun 1. Homeland Security - the federal department that administers all matters relating to homeland securityDepartment of Homeland Securityexecutive department - a federal department in the executive branch of the government of the United States authorities, and other first responders. "No longer can schools do this by themselves," Modzeleski says. "Schools, along with everyone else, need to be at the table because the plan that's developed is not so much a school plan as a community plan." Federal agencies can provide some help in addressing terrorism concerns in crisis management plans. www.ed.gov/offices/OSDFS/ Rebecca Sausner, rdsausner@yahoo.com, is a contributing editor A contributing editor is a magazine job title that varies in responsibilities. Most often, a contributing editor is a freelancer who has proven ability and readership draw. .