Ware County School District, which serves almost 6,500 students in the Waycross, Georgia, area, is implementing Honeywell Instant Alert for Schools. The Web-based notification service will allow the district to quickly reach parents with emergency or school news. In addition, the district plans to install a Digital Video Manager (DVM), a video management and surveillance system that will increase visibility into activities at the county’s schools.

"In today’s sensitive security environment, we have to be more prepared around safety and security issues," said Dr. Joseph Barrow, superintendent, Ware County School District. "Honeywell was a perfect choice because its technology gives the district a proven method to inform our parents and staff, and we had a previous relationship with the company."

Ware County faces unique communication challenges because of its location in Georgia, a state that is vulnerable to severe tropical storms forming in both the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.  An hour from the coast, the district is often used as a receiving ground for evacuees during a hurricane warning — an agreement the district maintains with the Georgia Emergency Management Association.  Instant Alert, used by nearly 1,000 schools nationwide, gives Ware County the ability to reach thousands of people within minutes, and notify the community of a potential shutdown when a hurricane strikes and evacuees need a place to stay.

Georgia has a state requirement that each school has a plan in place for safety and security.  And effective communication is a linchpin in any emergency plan.  The district encompasses a wide geographic area and Instant Alert allows administrators to quickly reach parents — wherever they are — with one consistent message. I n addition, it allows parents to choose how they want to receive information from the district.

"Ever since the incident at Columbine, our world has changed," said Barrow. "We’re talking about the safety and security of our schools, and we’re real serious about that. So the decision to use Instant Alert was simple."

The district also saw Instant Alert as valuable for much more than just emergencies. For example, in Georgia, athletic teams are divided into regions, which can require schools to travel up to three hours for a game. So if the football team is running behind or ahead of schedule on a return trip, an administrator can easily contact parents to let them know when the buses will arrive.

To use the service, which broadcasts messages to phones, cell phones, pagers, e-mail or PDAs, a representative from the district initiates an alert via the Internet or phone.  Once it’s finished, the message is instantly broadcast to all relevant contact points.  Parents can update their contact information online and specify how they prefer to be reached — e-mail for routine communication, and e-mail and cell phone for emergency messages, for example.

Instant Alert will replace the phone trees the district currently uses for emergency notification. In addition, Ware County plans to use the service to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of routine communications (currently handled by auto dialers), such as notifying parents when a bus is running late. Currently, Instant Alert is being funded by a program called "Sales Tax for Education."  Should the district continue to use the service, it will be paid for through general school funds.

As part of the contract, Honeywell also will install a closed-circuit television (CCTV) system and cameras at the district’s two middle schools, as well as upgrade existing cameras at the high school.  Powered by DVM and Honeywell Enterprise Buildings Integrator (EBI), the CCTV system allows school personnel to view, record, play back and store security video clips.  As a result, the district will have a better line of sight into activities in and around its buildings.

Along with managing the surveillance system, EBI will allow the district to monitor and control heating ventilation and air conditioning components in the buildings from a single point.  This will help streamline operations and reduce energy costs.

"New technologies can help schools meet a number of the challenges, from upgrading security to improving communication with parents," said Joe Puishys, president of Honeywell Building Solutions.  "With offerings like DVM and Instant Alert, we're able to help districts keep students safe, and provide an environment where teachers and administrators can focus on what’s truly important — educating students."

For more information about Honeywell’s offerings for schools, visit the Honeywell website.