CDW-G Releases School Safety Report

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Lauren Barack -- School Library Journal, 6/9/2008 11:50:00 AM

By more effectively integrating technology into their safety plans, school districts could better secure their students—and their data. So says the 2008 School Safety Index, an annual report created by CDW-G, a technology solutions firm. 

Of the 403 public school IT and security directors polled in April, 14 percent reported at least one IT security breach in the last year—up from nine percent in 2007. And 31 percent reported some kind of physical breach in the same period compared to 21 percent last year.

The report also found that many districts had proactively installed security measures such as security cameras trained on school grounds and network access control (NAC) systems, which track users who access school computers. Still, there’s room for improvement. The report noted that while approximately 70 percent of the facilities surveyed had installed security cameras, not all were IP-based, which, during an emergency, could help local police access the digital footage in real time.

Also, while 45 percent of schools have a communication system in place to alert their communities, only 32 percent of them are using new technologies like text messaging, relying instead on antiquated automated phone messaging systems.

In sum, as both IT breaches and physical break-ins continue to plague schools, utilizing every tool within a district’s grasp is crucial “...in order to affect real change for their communities,” says Bob Kirby, CDW-G’s senior director K–12, as quoted in the report. “With advance planning and creativity, districts can overcome the barriers to better security, enabling security staff to work smarter, rather than harder.”