Multi-Sensor Detection for K-12 Schools

June 6, 2024

min read

School administrators are turning to an innovative, multi-sensor technology to prevent incidents of violence and to proactively address the rise in vaping and e-cigarette use among students on school grounds.

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School administrators are turning to an innovative, multi-sensor technology to prevent incidents of violence and to proactively address the rise in vaping and e-cigarette use among students on school grounds, which creates new fire and life safety risks on campus and contributes to disrupting a safe learning environment for students.

Enhanced Detection for Hard-to-Access Areas

A growing number of K-12 school districts are working with trusted security integrators to install these intelligent sensors to help regulate difficult to monitor areas in school buildings, like restrooms and locker rooms, where vaping commonly occurs. The tamper-resistant devices can detect a range of conditions, including  vaping with tobacco and marijuana (THC), loud or aggressive noises, or gunshots with alerts that are time-stamped to provide real-time notification. These all-in one, smart sensors can:

  • Learn the environment to differentiate between tobacco vaping, vaping with THC and intentionally masking or covering up vaping with aerosols.
  • Detect gunshots and identify the location using two-factor authentication.
  • Notify administrators when specific key words or loud, aggressive noises are detected.
  • Monitor indoor air quality for high CO2 levels to help reduce the spread of disease by ensuring proper indoor air filtering.
  • Detect chemical spills and hazardous gases in science labs or maintenance/utility areas and provide emergency alerts.

Custom applications are also available to send notifications when lights or noises are detected in unauthorized areas after-hours or to manage HVAC energy costs.

Multi-Sensor Technology in Action

The first week after installing the devices at one high school in Chickasha, Oklahoma, sensors picked up loud noises indicating a fight or aggressive behavior coming from a student bathroom. When school officials investigated, they discovered a student forcibly pulling the towel dispenser off the wall in the restroom and using the space behind it to conceal a drop point for illegal substances. The force of pulling the towel rack off the wall triggered the sensors to send an alert and launched immediate action by school administrators.

"This system has gone way beyond expectation for not only preventing vaping but deterring crime and other disruptive behavior so we can keep our schools safe and create a positive learning environment for students," said Dan Turner, Executive Director of Operations for Chickasha, Oklahoma Public Schools.

Additional Benefits and Applications

This multi-sensor technology goes far beyond vaping detection to:

  • Provide comprehensive air quality monitoring to reduce the spread of contagions and enhance building safety and health awareness.
  • Help detect and deter disruptive behavior like bullying, vandalism, and trespassing to keep schools safe and ensure a positive learning environment for students.
  • Integrate with a school's video management system to achieve added layers of security and visibility across campus facilities.

COVID Mitigation Funding

Available federal COVID-19 rescue and relief funding may be applied to help supplement the cost of these types of systems at middle and high schools. School districts have successfully accessed Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding to deploy these types of systems by referencing an August 2020 Stanford University study showing teens and young adults who vape have a 20% greater chance of contracting COVID-19.

Want to Learn More? Partner With Us.

Trust the specialized teams at Everon to be your One Ideal Partner for a full range of solutions, including multi-sensor technology, mass notification systems, access control, video surveillance and more to help create safer schools where students can learn, educators can teach, and risks can be identified and addressed proactively. For schools and state and local government buildings, we understand that obtaining the best-in-class security, fire and life safety solutions at the best value is paramount to maintaining budget costs.

As a member of the nation's top cooperative purchasing organizations, you'll benefit from substantial cost savings by leveraging our pre-negotiated contract vehicles to optimize your purchase process, all while staying on budget.

Contact us to discover how our teams can act as a critical resource for cooperative purchasing.

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