In today’s rapidly evolving educational landscape, integrating AV and security technologies is crucial for creating safer and more engaging learning environments. As schools face increasing demands to protect students and staff while providing dynamic, modern educational experiences, the convergence of these technologies has become a necessity rather than a luxury. Schools are utilizing tools such as integrated public address (PA) and intercom systems, real-time video surveillance, displays and emergency alert platforms not only to respond to threats but also to enhance communication.
Unified Systems Take Center Stage
Central to this transformation is a shift toward unified, networked systems that allow school administrators to manage everything — from announcements to lockdown procedures — from a single platform. This seamless coordination between AV and security infrastructure empowers schools to act quickly in emergencies while also enriching daily classroom interactions with improved audio quality, visual clarity and real-time connectivity. Consequently, students benefit from enhanced safety as well as a more immersive and inclusive educational experience.
Schools need three key capabilities from their overarching communication and security solution:
- Detect potential or active problems
- Notify the right people instantly and effectively
- Manage incidents to a successful resolution
Achieving those goals requires a robust solution that includes a mass notification or reliable and modern public address system, video surveillance coupled with AI machine learning risk mitigation software and a central platform to automate announcements, instructions and support response plans once threats are identified. The seamless integration of these systems can enhance situational awareness, improve response times and provide real-time information to keep onsite students and staff safe, while also notifying first responders and parents as necessary.
Torrance USD Enhances Security and AV
Like many school districts, Torrance USD had a mashup of different technologies and vendor solutions across its schools regarding the ability to broadcast announcements and alerts. Each school had separate systems for bells, clocks and loudspeakers. With no central management of these systems, the school district couldn’t create pre-recorded messages for emergencies. Many system components were also end-of-life, and maintaining everything was cumbersome at best.
After choosing an AV solutions provider, the team installed nearly 1,700 speakers throughout the schools to ensure audible, visible and intelligible messages. Leveraging standard WAN or LAN network architecture, each speaker comes equipped with an integrated talkback microphone, LCD and LED flasher, supporting both visual text and audio broadcast to enhance physical security while improving day-to-day communications through advanced alerting, bell schedules and pre-recorded and scheduled announcements.
Campus Exteriors
For campus exteriors, the school selected a vandal-proof, IP45 weather-resistant, wall-mount IP speaker well-suited for environments requiring network-wide communication and high output to overcome excessive ambient noise or large spaces. The team installed almost 600 exterior speakers district-wide.
Additionally, the Power over Ethernet (PoE+)-enabled endpoints connect through the same IT network the school uses to deliver Internet access. The platform simplifies the installation process for integrators and reduces the need to introduce multiple cable types to a project. The AV platform also offers scalability benefits, allowing schools the flexibility to expand their systems as the district’s communications evolve.
The AV platform also helped Torrance USD incorporate new and expanded campus safety capabilities with the help of mass communications software. Using the software, designated school personnel can initiate an alert from a mobile device wherever they are. The software then sends text messages to faculty, students, and parents’ mobile devices, alerts law enforcement, and activates attention-grabbing audio alarms and LCD text messages on the installed endpoints throughout the school or district.
Currently, Torrance USD is testing various color combinations on the LCD screens to indicate different kinds of alerts, including earthquakes, shelter-in-place and all-clear messages.
The communication system integrator is in the final phase of upgrading all the schools to the latest mass communication servers and upgrading call manager to Webex calling. These updates will allow select school and district staff members to make emergency announcements or push out notifications directly from their cell phones.
Bringing it all Together
The importance of mass notification systems, risk mitigation technologies, and central alerting software in school safety cannot be overstated. These tools provide a robust framework for communication, early detection, and response, significantly enhancing the security of the school environment. Mass notification systems ensure that critical information is disseminated quickly and efficiently. Risk mitigation technologies enable proactive identification and prevention of potential threats, and central alerting software instantly communicates to key internal and external stakeholders and on-campus personnel. Together, they create a safer and more secure learning environment, fostering a sense of trust and well-being within the school community.
As schools continue navigating the complexities of modern safety challenges, integrating these advanced technologies will be instrumental in protecting students, staff and visitors, ultimately contributing to a more conducive learning environment.
Gina Sansivero is VP of marketing and communications. AtlasIED.
