How safe do your students and staff feel at school? As National Safe Schools Week approaches, it’s a natural time to reflect on your school’s safety measures. Traditional drills have their place, but they’re not enough on their own. Schools need a proactive approach that encompasses education, prevention, early detection, swift response, and post-event communication.
By incorporating the right strategies and tools, IT and safety teams can prepare their community members and address many risks before they escalate, creating a safer environment every day, not just during emergencies.
Limitations of traditional drills and why a proactive approach matters
Relying on the same types of drills year after year won’t solve the safety challenges schools face today. Fire drills and lockdowns are helpful, but they are not enough to prepare staff and students for a wide range of potential emergencies.
Here’s why a proactive, tech-enabled approach to safety is critical:
- Diverse threats require tailored responses. Schools need to be prepared for a variety of emergencies—from natural disasters to medical incidents and, unfortunately, potential acts of violence. No single drill can cover the unique response required for each type of situation.
- Frequent drills can cause unnecessary anxiety. Running drills without sufficient context or communication can create more stress than preparedness. If students and staff don’t fully understand the proactive safety measures in place, they may feel more anxious than confident.
- Prevention is better than reaction. Waiting for an incident to occur before acting leaves schools vulnerable. A proactive safety approach helps identify potential issues before they become emergencies.
With the help of technology, schools can move from being reactive to being prepared. By combining prevention, early intervention, and rapid communication, schools can reduce risks and respond more effectively to any situation.
Core components of a proactive school safety culture
Building a proactive safety culture isn’t just about buying new tools. It’s about integrating technology in meaningful ways to create a multi-layered safety system that works in both daily routines and during emergencies. Here are the key elements that can support IT and safety leaders in making this shift.
Education and information
A proactive safety culture starts with making sure everyone—students, staff, and even parents—knows the drill, literally. Ongoing education around emergency protocols doesn’t just reduce anxiety; it builds confidence. When the entire school community understands the “why” behind drills and safety plans, they’re more prepared to act quickly and effectively. Safety is a shared responsibility, and keeping everyone informed empowers them to play their part. By making safety education part of everyday routines, schools create a more prepared, resilient community—ready to respond.
Real-time monitoring and communication
Staying aware of potential risks is a critical part of a school’s safety efforts. Schools can integrate systems like security cameras and incident reporting platforms into a central dashboard, allowing safety teams to monitor activities across campus as they unfold. This ensures swift identification and response to incidents, helping to maintain a secure environment.
When emergencies occur, clear, actionable communication, broadly disseminated via a variety of methods, can be the difference between order and confusion. Vivi’s Emergency Alerts feature enables visual alerts to be shared on every Vivi-connected display in classrooms or common areas. Vivi alerts take over whatever content is being shared and can even power on displays that are sleeping. In an evacuation or emergency, the appropriate alert can be seen in every classroom in seconds, maximizing the reach of the notification. Alerts remain visible until the emergency is over.
Vivi’s API integration with a school’s existing emergency management systems further enhances this by triggering automated alerts across all screens. This ensures that key messages are seen by all, helping to manage emergencies efficiently and keep everyone safe. When every second counts, having a reliable, far-reaching communication system like Vivi makes a significant difference in response effectiveness.
Culture of trust and open dialogue
While technology plays a crucial role, a proactive school safety culture ultimately hinges on building strong relationships and fostering trust between students, staff, and families. Schools can implement regular classroom discussions or assemblies dedicated to safety topics, encouraging students to openly share concerns or anxieties without fear of judgment. Training staff to be approachable listeners and creating confidential reporting systems for bullying, harassment, or potential threats can further cultivate a climate of trust. This open dialogue empowers the entire school community to act as proactive partners in ensuring a safe and supportive learning environment for everyone.
Building a safer school through technology
Technology can do more than just help schools respond to emergencies—it helps prevent them from happening. By integrating technology into daily operations, schools can create an interconnected safety system that works every day, not just in times of crisis.
When safety systems are integrated, schools can stay on top of potential risks more easily and respond more effectively when issues arise. This integrated approach to safety can transform the way schools manage everything from daily security to major emergencies.
Lesley Coe, Chief Technology Officer of Cardinal Gibbons High School, worked on the implementation of both Vivi and Raptor Technologies. When asked why this was a priority, she shared: “Any time a school can streamline communication and make the environment safer with the push of a button, it’s worth doing.” Read their story here.
Taking the next step toward proactive safety
With National Safe Schools Week behind us, it’s crucial to continue the momentum and ensure our school safety systems are equipped to handle both physical and digital threats year-round.
If you missed our recent webinar, “Modern School Safety: Expert Advice on Funding, Tech & More,” don’t worry! You can watch it on-demand and gain valuable insights from industry leaders who shared actionable strategies for improving school safety.
- Mike Matranga – Founder of M6 Global Defense, former Secret Service, and ex-Director of Security at Texas City ISD
- Lesley Coe – CTO, Cardinal Gibbons High School
- David Rogers – Chief Marketing Officer, Raptor Technologies
- Andrew Henshaw – CEO, Learn Design Apply, Inc.
- Corey Shelton – VP of Product, Vivi
Learn from these experts and take the next steps in making schools safer every day.
