Safe schools are a prerequisite for successful student outcomes. With schools facing threats on multiple fronts, this key aspect is increasingly more aspirational than realistic.
With the looming risk of school violence, a growing mental health crisis, and the increasing risks (and costs) of cyber attacks, schools are doing everything they can to provide a safe learning environment for all students.
Technology can support these efforts, strengthen existing security protocols and augment in-person resources, making schools safer.
Here are three ways schools can foster a culture of safety through innovative educational technology in the 2024-2025 school year.
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1. Physical Security in Schools
When parents send their children to school, they expect their children to have a safe experience, but too often this expectation is shattered by violence in schools.
Since Columbine High School revolutionized perceptions of school safety in 1999, The Washington Post reports that more than 359,000 students have experienced gun violence at school. The problem continues to grow. Recently, 2022 broke the record for the most school shootings in a single year, but this was a temporary milestone, with 2023 surpassing it in just 11 months.
Some schools have responded by increasing the number of armed guards on campus, but several studies have found this tactic to be ineffective or counterproductive, increasing fear rather than increasing feelings of safety.
Related: Unarmed Security Guard Training: De-escalation, Self-Defense and Defensive Tactics
Meanwhile, technology is helping schools improve security and strengthen existing safety measures: According to the National Center for Education Statistics, more than 97% of public schools restrict access to school buildings during school hours, up 6% since 2010. More importantly, the use of security cameras to monitor schools has skyrocketed, increasing from 61% in 2010 to 91% in 2020.
Now, AI-powered tools are making these solutions even more effective and efficient: Entry scanning solutions automatically detect guns, knives and other threats with high accuracy, reducing collisions and improving entry speeds.
Simply put, physical safety is a top priority and a big challenge for schools. While there are no perfect solutions, modern technology can improve security standards and allow schools to focus on their mission: teaching and supporting their students.
2. Psychological safety in schools
Mental health outcomes for K-12 students have consistently declined since the COVID-19 pandemic and are now at an all-time low.
In a spring 2023 survey, 75% of schools said teachers and staff “expressed concerns about student depression, anxiety, and trauma.” A similar percentage of schools said they had seen a surge in the number of students seeking mental health services, straining already-stretched school counselors and forcing other staff members to take on critical support roles they were ill-prepared for.
In response, many school districts are dedicating significant time and resources to increasing their mental health support staff. Finding the right staff remains a challenge: About 20% of schools report having open mental health positions. By one estimate, there is a national shortage of 100,000 mental health staff, requiring creative solutions to ensure students receive the care they need.
RELATED: Student health: Schools adopt different approaches to boost mental health on campus
To meet demand, schools are using technology to provide access to mental health services. Online or virtual therapy for students allows schools to augment existing resources with readily available virtual mental health services. For example, Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine provides short-term psychiatric treatment or therapy before referring students to local community resources.
At the same time, virtual curriculum resources like Centervention and Social Thinking Training & Speakers' Collaborative's Superflex curriculum allow schools to provide comprehensive social-emotional learning opportunities for students.
More basic technology solutions, such as Google Forms and other app-based solutions, can help all parties better identify, track, and follow up with students who need additional support services.
Combining these technologies allows schools to go beyond traditional response scope and provide solutions that exceed their in-house capabilities. As the World Journal of Psychiatry explained earlier this year, “Digital interventions are cutting edge and should be maximised to make the most of effective approaches to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student mental health.”
3. Cybersecurity in Schools
Schools are frequent targets for cyberattacks, stealing students' time, attention, and resources. Last year was a record-breaking year for ransomware attacks, with the number of attacks nearly double the previous year. These attacks compromised approximately 7 million personal records and caused more than $53 billion in downtime since 2018.
Ransomware attacks are not the only threat schools face; there are also phishing scams, data breaches, distributed denial of service attacks, and other attack techniques. In many ways, schools have an attractive combination of highly sensitive information and relatively limited defensive resources. Many schools struggle to attract or retain top cybersecurity professionals who could earn significantly higher salaries, better benefits, and other advantages working in the private sector.
RELATED: Cybersecurity researchers find school shooting emergency plans published online
Technology is filling the gaps, with firewalls, detection systems and encryption solutions fighting the good fight for them. Technology can also help schools educate and prepare staff to identify and defend against cyber threats.
With roughly three-quarters of data breaches involving the human element, these training resources can turn vulnerabilities into assets and strengthen a school’s overall defensive posture.
Conclusion
Technology alone cannot create physical, psychological and digital security in a school, but it can be a powerful tool in fostering a school-wide culture of safety.
Integrating technology in schools is about creating a safe and positive environment where students can learn and grow without fear. In these complex times, the role of technology in creating a safe and nurturing educational environment is more important than ever.
Peter Evans is CEO of Xtract One Technologies, a technology and AI-powered threat detection and security solutions company.
Note: Opinions expressed by guest bloggers and contributors are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of, or be attributed to, Campus Safety.
