In a school setting, where playground falls, student altercations and health- and weather-related issues are commonplace, an agile and versatile communications solution that keeps administrators, teachers, staff and parents connected is a must. Outdated or ineffective telecommunications systems that limit staff mobility and accessibility can compromise safety and cause delays in getting important information to staff, parents and the community.
Balancing Budgets. However, for school districts looking to upgrade telecommunications processes, the challenge is identifying systems that are multifunctional yet also fit within their tight budgets. A converged telephony solution, which can improve school-to-community, administrator-to-teacher and administrator-to-staff interactions, is a great place to start for communications solutions providers looking to increase opportunities in the education arena. And school-system stakeholders might be surprised to learn that many of these advanced systems are now cost-efficient for even the smallest school districts.
For example, Alabama-based Saint Aloysius Catholic Church & School was working with a limited budget, but was able to upgrade to a Samsung OfficeServ 7200 platform following a lightning strike that partially disabled its outdated analog phone system. The new system modernized the facility while reducing telecommunication costs and providing new ways for students, parents, staff and administration to share information and connect with one another. The system, installed by Blue Ocean Technologies Inc., features an integrated intercom and public address system that enables campus-wide announcements and keeps students, faculty and staff informed. An enhanced voice mail system provides each staff member with a mailbox (without the need for a dedicated handset) as well as remote message alerting capabilities, making it easier for parents to reach and communicate with teachers.
And Outgoing Call Restriction via access codes prevents unauthorized phone use while keeping 911 accessible to all. The conversion to a PRI T1 line increased Internet speeds for students while allowing the school to realize a 35 percent savings on telecommunications costs.
Improving Safety. Besides doing more with less money, keeping kids safe is a top priority for schools. According to Safe Kids, up to 25 percent of the more than 14 million unintentional injuries to children each year happen in and around schools. Playground injury is the most common school-related injury among children ages 5-14 and about 80 percent of the most severe injuries are falls. For a faculty person assigned to playground duty, a mobile communications solution is critical. By providing wireless phones to staff, a school can give its personnel the capability to communicate instantly and stay connected with administrators and other parties in the event of an emergency – such as a playground incident.