The Balancing Act of Education and Safety
A rapid progression in the use of classroom technology and innovative approaches to school safety continue to expand across our nation’s school systems, leaving school administrators enthusiastic yet overwhelmed with the responsibility to strategize and micro-manage education and security plans.
As school systems continue to take more concerted actions against campus incidents from internal and external threats, it is important to recognize a precise strategy towards maximizing:
- Protection of stakeholder data and privacy located within your school
- School climate and positive, holistic security and safety strategies
- Report accuracy and compliance with school security mandates
- Staff training on security measures
- Funding opportunities
Seemingly impossible strategies to cohesively materialize, manage, monitor, and measure. Fortunately, there is a dynamic all-in-one solution to help you manage your school effectively, protect access points, meet reporting requirements, and most importantly – save lives.
Visitor Management Systems: A Foundation to Your School’s Safety
School administrators are consistently searching for solutions to campus-wide problems. Your school can mitigate campus incidents, promote student success, and maximize staff work productivity with the right automated tools. Visitor management systems provide the most optimized school entrance security while promoting a positive school climate and providing real-time data reporting.
As an administrator that is commissioned to sustain a sound reputation and foundation of excellence for your school, it is important to understand 5 main reasons why a Visitor Management System is the key to your long-term success for safety.
Reason #1: Knowledge is Power – Recognize Your Visitors
Featuring physical Visitor Management Systems provide a professional look and serves as a serious message to unwanted guests that your school has a strong intervention and prevention strategy in place. You become armed and equipped with real-time data about visitors entering your premises. Through visitor management kiosks, the Visitor Management System awards you and your staff the ability to:
- Automatically scan driver’s licenses and populate data into a visitor record
- Analyze available sex offender data against visitor information
- To automate late arrivals, early dismissals and student pick-up
Sign-in Sheets vs. Centralized Data Collection & Reporting
The automation benefit of these all-in-one features holistically deters sexual predators and any new visitors aiming to cause trouble in your school. As a result, these potential violators are far more likely to pause at the thought of entering a school with a Visitor Management System at the front door or with a staff member scanning a driver’s license into a Visitor Management system and taking photos, compared to a simple sign-in sheet.
Student Pick-up Made Simple and Safe
Optimized Visitor Management Systems will provide you with optional add-on features, including the benefit of integrating with your student SIS to improve and manage student pick-up. Additionally, Visitor Management Systems offer the added benefit of issuing late arrival passes and early dismissal slips, helping maximize your staff’s work productivity.
Reason #2: Accuracy in Reporting – Track and Meet the Guidelines
Through the advanced technology of centralized data-collection a reporting features, Visitor Management Systems offer various reports and real-time data that are available to your staff members for the purpose of tracking and providing access to certain visitors.
As a Principal, you are well acquainted with the demand to remain compliant with the ever-changing government mandates related to security and reporting requirements. Visitor Management Systems provide the ease of access to secured data and accurate reporting needs that you strived to achieve.These noted features are designed with your school administration in mind; to exceed your own reporting requirements for annual analysis and possible grants or funding.
Reason #3: Promotes a Positive School Climate
Visible kiosks and desktop visitor management systems promote peace of mind and a sense of safety among students and staff.
Your School Environment = Their Success
According to Safe and Sound Schools’ State of School Safety Report, “An active shooter in the school is the top concern for all four groups (17 percent of parents, 52 percent of students, 58 percent of educators, and 37 percent of the public).” (SASS, 2018).
Fortunately, a recent Research Gate abstract case studies and past data analysis have illustrated evidence that automated and visible Visitor Management Systems induce a positive school climate and prepare prime conditions for an environment which advances a student’s learning functions due to a more confident and friendlier sense of safety.Through the benefits of a Visitor Management System implemented in your school, you can support the social/emotional impact of day-to-day positive security measures for both students and staff.
Reason #4: Easy and Secure Check-out for Your Visitors
Visitor Management Systems are renowned for increasing the work productivity for front desk staff, security teams, and educators.
Visitor Record Keeping with Accuracy and Security in Mind
A fob or visitor pass/sticker can be used for your school visitors for accurate check out reporting, providing a timestamp of each visitor’s exit and total duration time inside the school building.With the optional fob key, your security team and staff work productivity can benefit from the security features highlighted, such as visitor access point limitations.
Reason #5: Increases Opportunities For Funding
As a school administrator, you can position your school district to receive funding based on advanced school security implemented through a Visitor Management System.
As reported by The Journal, school funding programs and opportunities has expanded, pursuing school systems that have implemented management systems that target “emotional, physical and digital safety, emergency preparedness and culture.” (Global Grid for Learning, 2018)
“A new grant program is seeking U.S. schools to receive access to programs to address school safety. The “Safer Schools in America Impact Grant” will make a total of $25 million worth of in-kind safety solutions from 16 companies available to recipients over three years,” reports Dian Schaffhauser, author and research expert from The Journal.
“Those systems will be deployed no cost to the schools, and, in return, the schools will need to make data available for the purposes of research,” Schaffhauser explains.
Visitor Management Systems provide accurate reporting and the necessary data needed to increase these opportunities for your Request For Proposal (RFP) needs.
When considering these 5 reasons your school needs a visitor management system, you can argue that the foundation of your success heavily depends on a system that offers a comprehensive approach to protecting students, staff, and data.
Are you ready to implement an effortless, all-in-one visitor management system that uses innovative, up-to-date technology to ensure accuracy and promote a positive school climate?
ScholarChip is a holistic, cost-effective solution to help reduce school threats and address the important issues surrounding school safety. Data from students, faculty, and stakeholder is leveraged to manage school access, attendance, and behavior management through the platform tools to increase safety and promote the campus climate schools are looking for.
To learn more about ScholarChip and how your school can directly benefit from a visitor management system, request a 1-on-1 strategy session today!
