Our schools are where our children should feel safe. It is where they learn about themselves and the world around them. Sadly, if our past few years are any indication, schools are not the safe places we thought they were, and anything can happen when certain circumstances facilitate a tragic situation
However, there are things that can be done to prevent that from happening, and to keep schools as the safe places they are supposed to be. It comes in the form of surveillance systems. These systems, which include CCTV security cameras, DVRs, and remote viewing capabilities are changing the way parents, and teachers see the school
While we talk about using surveillance systems to keep schools safe, we are not just talking about school shootings. We are also talking about a parent’s ability to watch their children from afar, with remote viewing, to ensure they are safe as well
Schools have hall monitors to make sure no one leaves class, and they have people who monitor the kids coming and going. However, that does not mean that the monitoring is perfect It is important that schools have security cameras set up that can monitor children coming and going to ensure that they do not leave the school grounds and get lost
It is unsafe and a severe fire hazard to lock the doors of a school so children cannot leave, but it is possible to keep an eye on them through cameras. For many principles and teachers, having security cameras in the halls to see children coming and going goes beyond finding those who are skipping out on class, it is more about safety and keeping children safe in a sometimes dangerous world
With cameras outside the school, you can not only monitor the children to make sure there are no injuries in the playground, you can also monitor those around the school yard and diffuse a dangerous situation before it happens. If you see someone standing by a fence, or someone talking to the children, you can send a teacher over to asses the situation and deal with the potential problem before it becomes tragic
School vandalism has also happened on occasion, and that costs a lot of time and money for the schools. With security cameras outside the school, hooked into a surveillance system, you can keep vandals from approaching the school, or catch them after they hit it. Here is just a selection from the space of a few days in April to show you how schools are often targeted. A good security system with security cameras can prevent this from ever happening
Orosi, California - Someone slashed a canvas awning and spray-painted bleachers at Golden Valley Elementary School in Orosi Friday, causing about $3,000 in damage
GRAHAM, North Carolina - When faculty and staff arrived at Graham High School Friday morning, they discovered broken windows, damaged computers and furniture overturned. School officials called Graham Police, but officers had already been called to the school shortly after 6 a.m. when a school bus driver discovered that eight school bus tires had been slashed, said Graham police Lt. Brad Shirley
Record School Surveillance Using DVRs
Twenty years ago, video tapes were the only media that could be used to record what sub-par video cameras saw. However, in our current digital age, we can use DVRs to not only see things a lot clearer, but for longer periods of time too. That means that if something happens at a school, if there is a shady character lurking around or a child goes missing, you can jump to the DVR and see what the video cameras saw, anywhere in the school, to determine what happened and how the situation can be either resolved, or kept from happening again. Through your surveillance system, you will be able to use your DVR to see everything that has happened at your school, in crystal clear quality, for the past few weeks. This is an excellent tool for both student and school safety
Remote Monitoring Your School
One of the most innovative things that has ever been done in keeping neighborhoods safe is the Neighborhood Watch Program. The same principle is applied to remote monitoring. In this case, you can monitor the school from your own home computer. You can see if anyone is around the school, you can see if someone is vandalizing it, you can even see your own child in their classroom when you are feeling down and need a pick-me-up at work
Remote viewing technology is amazing for many people because it offers them the ability to see the school, from anywhere in the world
For many parents, this gives them the peace of mind knowing that if they want to see what their kids are up to at school, all they have to do is log into the remote viewing system. For schools, this gives them the air of looking out for the children and being totally open by allowing parents to see the school through the remote viewing technology that uses the security cameras and security surveillance system of the school
School is a place of fun and happiness and it is important it stays that way. Vandalism, sexual predators and school shootings are an unfortunate product of our society at times, but with a good surveillance system, you can prevent your school, or your children, from falling victim
The cost of the system is well worth the peace of mind you get
