ICT Today

48 I ICT TODAY SAFETY IN SCHOOLS While schools are becoming much safer due to changes in school design and extra security, there is still much concern about the quality and level of safety. The earliest schools in the U.S. were predominantly single-building designs. Now, they have become expan- sive multi-building campuses that can often accommo- date thousands of students. Thus, recently built schools are essentially concrete fortresses that often double as town or city evacuation centers during natural disas- ters, such as hurricanes and wild fires. Given the current climate of violence, most schools are beginning to focus on buildings that can better pro- tect students. Design considerations include access con- trol, site perimeter protection and better site and hallway visibility for surveillance that promote better facility supervision. For detailed information on the design and installation of wireless and other access control systems, site perimeter measures, wireless and other surveillance guidelines, and alarm systems, refer to BICSI's Telecommu- nications Distribution Methods Manual, 14th edition. Improving school design is only one aspect of student safety and does not account for optimizing school security and communication services. Implementing new security measures is not always a decision that a school adminis- trator makes; it is most often at the behest of budget committees. According to the 2019 State of School Report, both parents and educator survey respondents prioritized additional funding to improve school safety, largely due to student and parent concerns over active shooter threats. 3 While K-12 schools are increasing spending on new technologies, there are still many actions that must be taken to ensure the safety of students. Schools have invested in technologies, such as digital surveillance systems, which can detect abnormal behavior in students. However, knowing that there is a threat is only a part of improving public safety. The most recent edition of the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools' (PASS) Safety and Security Guidelines for K-12 Schools 4 identifies key technologies that enable security teams to communi- cate with school communities, as well as calls for in-build- ing emergency communication systems that enable access to radio frequencies used by emergency services. An inter- esting finding reported by PASS is that one of the major security and safety pitfalls of schools is the "reliance on technology for emergency communications that is not designed for such use." PASS also makes it clear that a strong IT network, emergency communications system, and a reliable physical ICT cabling infrastructure to sup- port them is crucial. CONNECTING THE NATION'S FIRST RESPONDERS: FIRSTNET Currently, schools and many other enterprises rely on traditional public safety communication frequency bands, such as the most commonly used 800 MHz band for first responder communication. The very high fre- quency (VHF) and ultra high frequency (UHF) bands range from 136 to 174 MHz and 380 to 512 MHz, respec- tively. Because VHF offers longer wavelengths, it can travel far distances with minimal disruption to first responders' push-to-talk radios, while UHF has shorter waves and is susceptible to interruption. In 2012, the use of VHF and UHF changed with the creation of the First Responder Network Authority (First- Net) 5 whose mission is to develop, build and operate the nationwide, broadband network that equips first respond- ers to save lives and protect U.S. communities. FirstNet uses Band-14, also known as the 700 MHz public safety band, to provide the first high-speed nationwide wireless broadband network dedicated to public safety. It was created to address a lack of standardization within public safety networks across state lines. When it is fully rolled out (currently, it is about 80 percent deployed), FirstNet may revolutionize public safety com- munication functions; first responders will be able to use dedicated commercial smartphones to communicate with one another regardless of region or district.

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