Prior to public schools reopening for returning faculty and students, school officials must consider the new safety & security risks associated with COVID-19. Likewise, they must also conduct exhaustive research and accordingly budget for the cost of implementing the tools necessary to help mitigate these new risks.
Fortunately, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act has put aside $13.2 billion for the Elementary and Secondary School Education Relief Fund and $14 billion for the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund. This additional funding can now help schools pay for essential new technology designed to safeguard the health & security of their faculty, students, and visitors now and long after the COVID-19 epidemic.
So, what new security & safety technology should schools consider implementing?
Body Temperature Detection
Scanning faculty, students, and visitor’s body temperature immediately upon them entering the school is an excellent way to prevent anyone with elevated body temperature being exposed to others inside the school. Anyone discovered having elevated body temperature, defined by the CDC as above 100.4° F, can then be redirected by a school official for additional scanning or preventative action.
ZKTeco’s SpeedFace+ models SF1008+ and SF1005-V+ are small standalone readers which provide fast, accurate and automatic body temperature and mask detection. They are easy to set up and can be combined with ZKTeco integrated turnstiles which prevent access while also eliminating the need for a paid security guard.
Visitor Management
Having visitors pre-schedule appointments ahead of time can help make it easier for schools to adhere to social distancing rules. While scheduling an appointment, it’s also advisable visitors first successfully complete a health-check questionnaire which ensures the visitor hasn’t been exposed to anyone afflicted with COVID-19 or has visited a high-risk area.
ZKTeco FK1013+ is a body temperature & mask detection kiosk which runs our visitor management & authentication software called ZKVAMS. It automates the visitor check-in process while also ensure visitors with elevated body temperature or not wearing a mask are denied access to the school. School officials can now say “goodbye” to the old clipboard system in which sometimes unscrupulous visitors with harmful intentions (inc. theft, vandalism, child abduction, etc.) have the ability of presenting fake ID.
ZKVAMS can also ensure only visitors (i.e. student legal guardians) registered in the database can pick up their kids after school. This prevents unlawful guardians from picking up students which could result in fines or even lawsuits for the school. ZKVAMS allows schools to automatically electronically account for every visitor (walk-in or pre-scheduled) by verifying and logging the visitor’s unique QR code and 4-digit PIN (sent to the visitors’ phone), as well as passing a face recognition and driver’s license scan for verification.
ZKVAMS is a great tool for school officials to keep their school personnel & property safe and secure. FK1013+ provides a 100% touchless body temperature check-in/out experience and further enhances safety & security when visitors are also required to pass a health-check questionnaire prior to being admitted to the school.
Walk Through Metal Detectors
+Body Temperature Detection
Sadly, schools today are threatened by two growing issues, namely active shooters and underage vaping. For this reason, many schools have responded by installing walkthrough metal detectors which alert upon concealed metal objects including guns, knives and most recently, vape pens. ZKTeco offers both fix-mounted and portable walkthrough metal detectors in addition to handheld wands.
Model WMD318+ is fix-mounted and additionally has an integrated thermal sensor which triggers and audio & visible alarm whenever metal or elevated body temperature is detected. It has 18 overlapping detection zones and automatically counts both people and alarms each time a person walks through it.
Model WMD433 is portable. It has caster wheels and can be easily rolled away after an inspection. Lightweight and portable model PD300 has an award-winning foldable design which allows customers to assemble & disassemble it in less than 5 minutes. The PD300 also has wheels and weighs less than 90 pounds so it can easily fit inside most passenger vehicles. It’s 20-hour battery life makes it ideal for outdoor venues. Schools should also realize that the mere appearance of walkthrough metal detectors on school grounds serves as a tremendous deterrence for anyone considering causing harm or sneaking dangerous or illegal metal objects into the school.
Installing ZKTeco walkthrough metal detectors gives parents, students and faculty peace of mind knowing they can work and study without worrying about malicious people smuggling dangerous objects into the school with the intention of causing harm.
Access Control
Restricting access to school property is essential, especially for rooms like chemistry labs, gym equipment, locker rooms, and more. ZKTeco Atlas Series of Access Control panels offer advanced yet simple to use security features which can be managed remotely from the convenience of any computer, tablet, or phone. Remote control is especially useful during emergencies when a universal lockdown (and recovery) is deemed necessary.
Atlas is one of the security industry’s fastest, easiest, and least expensive access control systems to learn, install and operate. No computer is necessary because there is no software to install. The access control application is embedded inside the Atlas panel, itself. Atlas also supports Power over Ethernet (PoE) so the panels can plug directly into your PoE switch for power (just as many surveillance cameras do today). Atlas panels also support Wi-Fi, so there’s no need to spend time & money running additional network cables throughout the school. Atlas also provides the highest level of security because it supports multi-factor biometric authentication and Open Supervised Device Protocol (OSDP). Designed and engineered in the USA, Atlas is ideal for any schools in need of simple & affordable yet advanced security.
Body temperate scans, visitor management, metal detection, and access control are vital to school security and the CARES Act can pay for it all.
Ready to get a project proposal or learn more? Get in touch with our team using the contact information below!
(862) 505 2101 option 2