8 Goals for Private Schools to Enhance Emergency Responsiveness with Mass Notification Tools and Bolster Student Enrollment
School safety significantly influences private school enrollment
Several studies indicate that school safety significantly influences private school enrollment. Research shows that following school shootings, private school enrollments often increase as parents seek safer educational environments for their children. For instance, a study found that private school enrollments increased by approximately 9.7% to 11.6% in the academic year immediately following a school shooting, highlighting the critical role of perceived safety in school choice decisions (The Journalist’s Resource).
Additionally, a study on school culture and student retention in private schools underscores the importance of a safe learning environment. The research found that factors such as a positive school culture, which includes ensuring safety, are crucial for student retention and can positively impact enrollment (ERIC).
CareHawk safeguards the well-being of students, teachers, and staff with modern communication technologies.
CareHawk safety communication technology can significantly enhance the appeal of private schools to prospective students and their families by addressing critical concerns related to safety and emergency response management.
Here are several overarching concepts critical to effective emergency response:
Real-Time Alerts
Implementing systems that provide real-time alerts for emergencies such as intrusions, medical incidents, or severe weather can reassure parents that their children are protected during a crisis.
Rapid Response
Modern communication technologies allow for immediate coordination with local emergency services, ensuring quick response times during crises.
Safety Drills
Efficiently conducting and reviewing regular safety drills demonstrates a proactive approach to crisis preparedness, fostering a sense of security among students and parents.
Intercom and Paging Systems
The Campus Safety 2023 Emergency Notification Deep Dive report says that 90% of educational institutions use intercoms or overhead paging systems, and many plan to upgrade or purchase them soon. Intercoms and paging systems are the backbone of emergency response.
CareHawk creates easy-to-use crisis management solutions for private schools to handle their specific communication goals during emergencies and everyday situations.
Effective intercom and paging systems ensure smooth day-to-day operations, minimizing disruptions and maintaining an informed classroom environment, while being the first line of defense when needed.
Let’s review 8 essential emergency communication goals and how CareHawk can help you achieve them for your private school.
Goal #1: Automated Emergency Response
Harm is most likely to occur in the first moments of a crisis. Acting quickly is crucial for private schools to increase the likelihood of positive outcomes in crisis situations.
An automated response can significantly mitigate harm, and CareHawk Mass Notification Systems are made for precisely this task. With the press of a button, initiate prerecorded alerts and instructions for staff and students, while simultaneously informing staff and first responders off premises.
Spotlight Software:
As your browser-based control center, quickly and easily initiate critical alerts, prerecorded or live audio pages to zones, and much more.
Communicate within a single school, multiple schools in proximity, or the entire district.
Spotlight makes quick work of getting the right message to the right people without delay.
VCall+ Mobile Alert App:
Administrators, SROs, and other security staff who move frequently around the school can benefit from the VCall+ mobile app for triggering alerts and staying informed.
With a mobile phone or tablet initiate a lockdown or other important notifications from any location on the school’s wireless network.
Admin7 Administrative Phone:
The 7-inch high-definition touch-screen display empowers staff with quick and easy initiation of important alerts.
This eliminates the need to remember phone codes when you are under stress, delaying response times, making Admin7 an important part of your emergency response and day-to-day communication needs.
Alert Stations
At the touch of a button, activate a lockdown, weather alert, or evacuation.Tailor alerts to your school needs and protocols with the option to customize alert buttons.
Strategically placed alert stations are an important part of your emergency response plan and offer a wired solution in parallel with mobile technologies for important safety redundancies.
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Goal #2: Effective Communication Across All School Spaces
Private school administrators must ensure announcements are heard everywhere, even in noisy hallways, gyms, and outside spaces.
The G.722 wideband audio codec from CareHawk helps to provide more intelligible audio, especially for noisy or chaotic environments. We combine HD visual displays with strobe lights so that messages can be seen as much as they are heard.
10” Messaging Displays:
These high-definition displays are perfect for classrooms and provide a built-in speaker option.
10” Dual-Screen Messaging Displays:
Dual displays are great for hallways because they can be seen from both sides and have speakers built in.
22” Messaging Displays:
These displays are appropriate for larger spaces such as gymnasiums and cafeterias, including the provision to connect with an external amplifier and a series of ceiling speakers.
Goal #3: Connecting Schools Within a Large District
Communication between schools is important because incidents often involve multiple schools or the community at large. CareHawk systems help provide efficient information and resource sharing within school districts and larger campuses.
Spotlight Software:
Spotlight is your school’s browser-based control center.
Using your interactive school floor plan, easily initiate important alerts, audio pages (pre-recorded or live) to particular zones, and other actions.
Communicate within one school or between many campuses with multisystem and district wide interconnectivity.
Spotlight ensures that the right message reaches the right people at the right time.
Spotlight Multisystem:
Organize groups of schools to automatically join in lockdowns initiated by other schools in the group.
Eliminate the need for phone calls to other schools, burdening key staff during emergencies.
Take the quickest approach to emergency response and automate with Spotlight.
Spotlight District-Wide:
Control all district communications from one place using a Google map-based interface that allows administrators to initiate lockdowns, emergency pages, and alerts throughout the district or multi-building campuses.
Goal #4: Ensuring System Functionality
Ensuring that your emergency communication system is fully functional and reliable when you need it most is a key pillar of effective emergency response.
CareHawk’s Spotlight technology allows administrators to monitor all communications in real time, visually on the school floor plan, with priority-based and color-coded indicators for each type and priority of communication (e.g. emergency call-ins, pages, and alerts).
Our proprietary supervision technology monitors endpoints (e.g. messaging displays and audio gateways) to ensure connectivity and functionality. Endpoints attempt to reconnect/reboot upon detection of a malfunction or connection issue. If the issue cannot be resolved automatically, email notifications, floor plan indicators and Spotlight software status indicators alert support staff that intervention is required.
With CareHawk you have peace of mind that your first line of defense in a crisis is ready when you need it.
Goal #5: Integrating Multiple Systems from Different Suppliers
It’s common for schools to need different safety systems from multiple suppliers to work together. CareHawk’s GPIO Integration Hub provides a method to link third-party systems, making them more effective through cooperation.
We collaborate with safety technologies like fire alarm access control, and ensure compliance with regulations like Alyssa’s Law through integration with Centegix to offer robust safety solutions.
We recognize the importance of integrating seamlessly with other advanced classroom technologies, such as the industry-leading Lightspeed classroom instructional audio. Our goal is to collaborate with a broad range of current and emerging technologies to provide comprehensive and adaptable solutions for schools.
GPIO Integration Hub:
The CareHawk Integration Hub allows schools to connect third-party systems with our platform, extending the usefulness of these systems through collaboration. For example, connect your fire alarm system and mute music and other non-essential communications in the school automatically, allowing the priority message to be heard.
Third-party Integrations:
We understand the need to collaborate with other technologies, like industry-leading Lightspeed classroom instructional audio or to comply with Alyssa’s Law through integration with Centegix. We strive to work with as many existing and upcoming technologies as possible.
Goal #6: Managing Critical Message Approvals
CareHawk strongly recommends preparing and recording important messages and alerts ahead of time, having them approved by administrators, and employing them automatically in times of emergency. Reducing barriers like approvals and situational panic help schools better respond to crises when every second counts.
Spotlight software ensures strong user and role management ensures that only authorized people can configure and initiate critical messages.
Goal #7: Streamlining System Maintenance and Support
We have more than 200 certified partners in Canada and the USA who are always ready to assist you.
Our free manufacturer-direct customer support guarantees that your system will always be up to date and dependable.
Talk to a CareHawk expert today.
Goal #8: Staying Current with Best Practices
PASS Partner
CareHawk is a PASS (Partner Alliance for Safer Schools) partner and an active contributor to the continuously evolving guidelines.
PASS helps private schools implement recognized nationwide guidelines for efficient security and emergency communication readiness.
Investing in CareHawk’s modern safety communication systems safeguards students, teachers, and staff and improves your private school’s competitiveness.
Contact CareHawk today for more information about our customized solutions.
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