INTRODUCTION

Even though many schools treat security as a priority, there have been several cases recently where intruders have been able to walk into school buildings and breach security despite security guards’ presence. Another danger comes from the students themselves. Surreptitiously leaving the school during class time poses a severe threat to their safety. 

But inadequate security is not the only problem that schools are facing. While the students stafety should always be a priority, schools need to find a balance between the security and comfort of students. Elevated security levels in schools can negatively affect students’ performance and turn a place where children feel stimulated and inspired to learn into a penitentiary unit. 

Having a secure school doesn’t have to mean surrounding it with walls or barbed wire. Thanks to modern technology, the school can be as safe as ever without negatively affecting children’s well-being. 

CHALLENGES

One of the schools that reached out to us was facing several challenges related to students security and safety. 

The main challenge was security omissions and security breaches despite security guards’ presence. With security guards performing campus security, some omissions and security breaches are bound to happen. 

Another problem was inefficient and inaccurate students’ attendance system. Students’ attendance was tracked manually. That means that the school had first to learn that the student is missing and only then was able to notify the parents. That was both time consuming and dangerous; in the period between discoverying students’ absence and informing the parents, students were in danger. 

One of the biggest challenges was preventing students from surreptitiously leaving school during class hours. Both security guards and fences couldn’t stop some students from sneaking out unnoticed. With a manual attendance system, it was nearly impossible to track when and how some students left school premises. 

Finally, the school wanted to improve security and safety to ID students without disrupting the flow of movement.

SOLUTION

Ability presented the school with Facial Recognition IP Camera, Pose Estimation IP Camera and Human Detection IP Camera.

AI electronic security was an answer to most of the school’s security problems. AI cameras were used for access control, preventing unauthorized people from entering the school premises. At the same time, the cameras prevented students from leaving the school without permission. 

The school was also able to replace the traditional attendance system with a real-time and effective one with statistics and parent notifications, which helped  build a good image of a secure campus.

RESULTS

Due to the considerable number of students, the introduction test phase was arranged to check for ID issues and abnormalities daily. Then Ability, together with the school, took immediate measures to improve the system reaching the goal of 98% identification rate.  Some of the steps included optimizing registered photos, on-site adjustments and cooperation with students who deliberately avoided cameras.

As a result, the security of the school was significantly increased. School administrators were notified at once when strangers (or those on the blacklist) entered or left the campus. The ability to set up warning areas around campus and issue alerts when students are approaching during non-school breaks further increased safety. 

Parents of students who have not arrived at school had their parents notified right away so that parents could respond quickly, thus reducing the unexpected security risks. Additionally, pose detection cameras can send notifications when students tried to sneak over the wall, reducing student accidents.

Manual attendance was replaced with an efficient and accurate automatic student attendance system that provided comprehensive student attendance statistics. The system can automatically generate data reports to reduce teachers' daily work. It can provide real-time transmission of user identification data. It also has storage and reminder functions. The school management was able to check data at any time, manage, and reduce management security costs.

Depending on the client’s needs, Ability’s smart cameras can be customized to fit the needs of different schools, including:

• Visitor management: Students can submit visitor photos online. After the system approves it, visitors may pass through the pre-set areas during specified timeframes. This provides greater convenience for visitors and avoids any teaching disruption. 
• Examination system: Provides forensic evidence of students taking exams. After implementation, it can prevent fraud, such as students using a false identity to test for other students.
• Diversified access control: Set up the student’s face recognition permissions, which allows controlling where students can enter like dormitories, classrooms, libraries, and offices.
• Conference sign-in: Sensorless dynamic face recognition; participants can sign in quickly and can sign in multiple people at the same time. Instant recognition will not cause queues or crowding thus saving time.