Smart sensors are making schools safer: Here’s what this technology can do
All students, teachers, and personnel have a right to be safe and healthy while at school. Modern technology supports this, helping school administrators better understand the environment on campus and identify dangerous behaviors. This means smart sensors are becoming vital for schools across the US.
Smart sensors build upon existing sensor and detection technology to provide a more intelligent set of defenses. While traditional sensors can detect basic environmental changes — such as temperature increases, movement of physical objects, or the presence of smoke — smart sensors work with a far broader range of inputs. This broader range makes them essential for school administration teams as they protect every person’s health, safety, and general well-being on the premises.
Types of smart sensors
Vape sensors
In 2019, around 10.5% of middle school-age kids were using vape products. While this fell to 4.7% in 2020, the danger is still very real. One study found that 18% of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders use these types of products.
While standard smoke detectors can pick up cigarette smoke, these detectors won’t be able to trace e-cig vapor. On the other hand, Vape smart sensors can detect vaping and also have the ability to detect vape masking behaviors, such as covering up Vape with aerosols. If vaping occurs inside the school, the sensors will alert teachers and administrators of such actions.
Health sensors
These smart sensors are designed to protect the health of everyone on-premise by monitoring Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Particulate Concentrations, Humidity, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC), and Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) in the air. When unsafe levels are reached, the system will notify personnel so they can take action on the situation until levels are back to normal.
Health sensors can also monitor air quality and pollutant levels on the premises. Also, with the proper integration, possible alerts can trigger the current airflow system to correct the situation.
Safety sensors
The safety of students and staff is always the top priority of the school’s administrative teams. By programming sensors to recognize specific stimuli, these teams can ensure the safety of everyone on the site.
Spoken keyword
Often, unpleasant words serve as indicators for an incident that is about to happen. For example, racial, homophobic, or gender-based slurs are usually followed by physical acts of violence — and these slurs are acts of violence towards an individual’s identity. Of course, this is an extreme example. The goal is for the sensors to notify the administrator as quickly as possible to help de-escalate this kind of dangerous situation.
Gunshot
An active-shooter event on a school campus is a nightmare scenario for all of us and has been a tragic reality for too many. Safety sensors that detect gunshots can pass this information on to law enforcement without delay, accelerating the response time and potentially saving lives in our schools. There were 249 incidents of gun crime at K-12 schools in 2021, underlining how important this aspect of school safety is.
Aggression
Aggressive behavior may not always take the form of words. Sound can be a good indication if aggression is taking place on the campus. Safety sensors apply machine learning to monitor sound and will send alerts when the sound threshold is way above normal.
TFE and Halo deliver the smart sensors schools need
TFE has partnered with Halo, providing the smart sensor technology required to make schools safer for all. Reach out to our team to discover more about how this works.
