“I have a genuine passion for school security for three compelling reasons: firstly, it is a matter that concerns us all; secondly, as a mother, it holds personal significance to me; and lastly, my work at Intel provides me the opportunity to enable change.” —Kasia Hanson, global director of physical and cybersecurity ecosystem and partnerships at Intel
If you keep up with the latest tech news, you’re probably familiar with buzzwords like artificial intelligence (AI) and biometrics. They’re making waves in various industries. But did you consider that these advancements can also play a crucial role in enhancing school safety and security?
When most people think of school safety and security, they often jump to surface-level measures like door locks and legislation. However, these approaches have layers and multiple components, from policies and procedures to video security, detection, and alarms. Technology, in particular, opens up a new world of possibilities for creating safer learning environments.
A Leader in Physical Security and Cybersecurity
To dive deeper into this topic, Kasia Hanson, global director of physical and cybersecurity ecosystem and partnerships at Intel, shares her industry expertise and explains how technology can enhance physical security and cybersecurity for K-12 schools.
With her extensive industry experience, including over 20 years at Intel, Hanson recognizes technology’s potential to help advance school safety and security beyond where we are today. She’s worked alongside hardware and software partners, integrators, and Fortune 500 companies to identify opportunities to enhance cybersecurity and physical security for organizations of all sizes—including nonprofits like PASS. She also knows that more needs to happen to implement change to increase school safety and the policies that guide it.
Her role is educating, evangelizing, and developing new solutions using advanced technologies such as AI. From a school security perspective, Hanson wants to join the conversation to help bring more solutions and change to the forefront––this has led to her involvement with PASS.
“I have a genuine passion for school security for three compelling reasons: firstly, it is a matter that concerns us all; secondly, as a mother, it holds personal significance to me; and lastly, my work at Intel provides me the opportunity to enable change,” she said.
“School security takes a village … it’s not just one and done.”
Breaking Down the Silos With Technology
Schools may face various roadblocks in their approach to safety and security, but creating an ecosystem that can support safety and security strategies and policies will help immensely, Hanson said. She believes that schools can benefit from functioning within an ecosystem that capitalizes on the latest security advancements, including access control and AI, while also considering privacy laws and the impact of technology on students, teachers, and administrators.
“School security takes a village … it’s not just one and done—we must continually evolve and advance protections of our schools, children, teachers, and community,” Hanson said.
At the heart of the issue lie two concerns: the need for more standards and guidelines for protecting schools and the reluctance of some stakeholders and communities to use advanced technology to address the necessary changes, Hanson said. Some states have set guidelines for securing school facilities, while others continue to develop their own standards.
Hanson emphasized the value and need for road maps and playbooks, similar to the PASS School Safety and Security Guidelines, that can enable districts to develop and evolve their policies and procedures. Simultaneously, she emphasizes the importance of fostering a deeper understanding of emerging technologies among educational leaders, enabling them to understand how the technology can be used while assessing current safety levels and to pave the way for improvement.
For example, Hanson recalled when she spoke with a school district and offered them a free security assessment. The assessment uses digital twin technology, a 3D, interactive re-creation of the school’s layout, to understand the landscape and reveal weaknesses in the event of an emergency. Although the assessment could have provided the school with valuable insights, the district declined. Their concern was how to explain it to parents.
When people think about tech and implementing it in public spaces, their first concern is privacy. Safety, security, and privacy are all paramount and should be key focuses for districts and communities. And now, we’re in a place where technology has advanced drastically, creating new opportunities for districts to deploy solutions that create safer school experiences for children.
Standards and Guidelines Can Help
Hanson emphasized the need for roadmaps and playbooks, similar to the PASS School Safety and Security Guidelines, and how they can help inform standards and guidance. But she also thinks a technology component can help leaders better understand where a school is, safety-wise, and how to improve.
For example, Hanson recalled when she spoke with a school district and offered them a free security assessment. The assessment uses digital twin technology, essentially a 3D, interactive re-creation of the school’s layout, to understand the landscape and reveal weaknesses in the event of an emergency. Although the assessment could have provided the school with valuable insights, the district declined. Their concern—how to explain it to parents.
When people think about tech and implementing it in public spaces, their first concern is privacy. Safety, security, and privacy are all paramount and should be key focuses for districts and communities. And now, we’re in a place where technology has advanced drastically, creating new opportunities for districts to deploy solutions that create safer school experiences for children.
Advancing School Security Through Technology
Hanson recognizes that concerns surrounding privacy are often at the forefront of discussions about implementing technology in public spaces. However, she envisions ethical and purposeful applications of AI technologies that can bring about positive change. For instance, utilizing 3D digital twins—a technology that recreates a school’s layout in a 3D interactive manner—can enable school officials and first responders to better prepare for emergencies by virtually simulating real-life scenarios.
AI-powered video can be a helpful tool. Traditional video technology acts as a resource after an incident occurs. However, with AI-powered video analytics, school officials can receive real-time alerts before incidents happen or perhaps about to happen, such as if a weapon is detected.
From AI and machine learning to deep learning and computer vision, when it comes to physical security, Hanson sees multiple opportunities for technology to help schools create a safer, more secure environment while adhering to privacy policies.
Schools can take a crucial step by regularly reviewing and assessing their security practices, policies, and vendors. This is important because technology is constantly advancing, and it’s essential to ensure that policies and technology are up to date and aligned. Hanson said the technology provides value at various levels to enhance school safety and security.
A Collective Effort
In the quest for safer schools, technology emerges as a powerful ally. It’s not a one-size-fits-all solution but rather a collective effort that requires the involvement of various stakeholders. With careful implementation, education, and everyone’s support, we can balance innovation and safety, to ensure our schools become secure havens for our children.
It’s time to embrace technology’s potential and work together to unleash its transformative power in school safety and security. Commit to making a difference by downloading and reviewing our School Safety and Security Guidelines to learn how to improve preventive measures in your local schools. Working together with your community can help create safer environments for children.
About PASS
The Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) bringing together expertise from the education, public safety, and industry communities to develop and support a coordinated approach to making effective and appropriate decisions with respect to safety and security investments. You can download the complete PASS Guidelines or check out our PASS Safety and Security Checklist for quick start tips. These resources—as well as whitepapers on various topics including barricade devices, lockdown drills, and more—are available at no cost.
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The most comprehensive information available on best practices specifically for securing school facilities, vetted extensively by experts across the education, public safety and industry sectors.