School Safety Tech Expands as Fall Semester Begins

Technology has become a keystone for making schools safe for kids these days. It’s appearing everywhere, even in things as simple as the visitors’ sign-in sheet.

“While many schools have paper log visitor management, we continue to see an increase in using electronic visitor management that can track visitors and cross-check them against national databases, like the sex offender registry,” Jordan Ferrantelli, vice president of the health care, education and life safety practice at Guidepost Solutions, a global investigations, compliance, and security consulting firm, told TechNewsWorld.

“One of the technologies that I’m seeing implemented more and more — and that has one of the best returns on investment for schools — is visitor management,” added Adam Coughran, president of Safe Kids, in Newport Beach, Calif., an organization that teaches elementary, middle, and high school students how to respond to life-threatening events.

“Over the years, visitor management has ranged from simply knowing the faces that walk into the school, to a pen and paper on a clipboard, writing down a name and check-in/check-out time,” he told TechNewsWorld. “Now, technology has advanced visitor management to allow mini background checks when people check in. This ensures they’re not a sex offender or otherwise restricted from being on campus.”

“It also manages custodial rights — knowing who has the legal right to pick up a child and when,” he added.

See Something, Say Something Apps

Ferrantelli noted that there is growing adoption of technologies like gunshot detection systems and the use of camera analytics to identify weapons.

Metal detectors, though, appear to be one technology schools have drifted away from. “Schools don’t want to go that far. They don’t want to look like prisons,” said Tom McDermott, K-12 safety and security coach and market manager at CEIA USA, a provider of electromagnetic inspection systems, headquartered in Hudson, Ohio.

There’s also a practical reason for eschewing metal detectors. “The kids have to get to class on time,” he told TechNewsWorld. “If they had to go through a metal detector, they’d probably have to get to school an hour earlier than they do now.”

“There are a growing number of commercial, government, and nonprofit technologies that intend to increase school safety,” Elyse Thulin, an assistant research professor at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention, told TechNewsWorld.

Among those technologies, she cited monitoring activity through integrated software on student devices, apps for bystander reporting, and technology that controls access to physical structures, such as swipe cards that automatically lock doors.

“School districts and schools are encouraging kids to have an app on their devices so if they see something — a threat or they’re being bullied — they can report it through the app to the school,” McDermott explained.

“In most mass casualty and mass shooting events, people saw things with a student or individual, but didn’t do anything about it, so I highly recommend reporting software like that for kids,” he said.

Panic Buttons for School Emergencies

Another safety technology gaining in popularity is panic buttons. “Panic buttons, or duress alarms, are a growing and affordable safety tool,” said Justin Kelley, vice president of global operations at Allied Universal, a multinational private security and facility services company.

“They allow for real-time communication and pinpoint the location of an incident, whether it’s a fight, a medical emergency, or another urgent situation,” he told TechNewsWorld.

“These systems can alert administrators and first responders without the need for a phone call, which is especially important in an active threat scenario where you don’t want to draw attention to yourself,” he continued. “In multi-building or multi-level schools,” he added, “these alarms can identify the exact room where help is needed. It’s technology that’s worth the investment.”

Operating some panic buttons can be challenging, though, when they depend on a smartphone to make a 911 call, and a school has a no-phone policy in place. However, Kenny Kelley, CEO of Silent Beacon, a personal safety technology company in Rockville, Md., pointed out that those policies apply only to students.

“For faculty, this is quite popular because panic buttons are required in some states now,” he told TechNewsWorld. “One of the latest ones was Texas, which requires faculty, security, teachers, and admins to have physical panic buttons that can call 911 directly.”

School Safety Tech on Tight Budgets

Keeping up with technology can be challenging for cash-strapped public entities like school systems. Allied Universal’s Kelley recommends that systems with tight budgets focus on a layered system. First, install a robust camera network that covers both exterior and interior spaces. “And make sure it’s actively monitored,” he said. “Cameras don’t help if no one’s watching.”

Second, implement access control, he continued. Require student ID badging and reduce the number of entry and exit points. “In the late ’90s, schools often had 30 to 40 open doors,” he explained. “Now, funneling everyone through a limited number of controlled entrances allows for effective screening without causing major delays.”

“Basic upgrades to camera systems can now include AI features like facial recognition or weapon detection,” he added, “but for schools on a tight budget, cameras and access control are the starting point.”

Digital Wellness and Tech Boundaries

When considering technology and safety in the schools, it’s important to look beyond the physical boundaries of the school, argued Jacqueline Nesi, a clinical psychologist and digital wellness expert, who is working with Straight Talk Wireless on a customizable agreement that helps parents and kids lay the groundwork for healthy digital habits.

“Technology plays an increasingly important role in school safety, from emergency communication systems to digital monitoring tools that help identify potential threats or student distress,” she told TechNewsWorld. “However, one aspect that often gets overlooked in school safety discussions is the critical foundation that begins at home — how families approach digital agreements and technology boundaries.”

“The challenge many schools face is that technology-related safety issues, from cyberbullying to inappropriate content sharing, often originate outside school hours, but significantly impact the school environment,” she said. “This is why family-centered digital wellness initiatives are becoming so important to overall school safety strategies.”

Brent Cobb, CEO of Centegix, maker of wearable safety technology for K-12 education, in Atlanta, noted that for some time, conversations around school safety have portrayed schools as vulnerable environments. “I believe that this narrative is shifting — schools will increasingly be recognized as some of the most prepared, responsive, and resilient public spaces in the country,” he told TechNewsWorld.

“As schools invest in safety infrastructure,” he added, “they provide more than just physical protection — they offer peace of mind. When educators and students trust that their environment is secure, they can focus on what really matters: teaching and learning.”