Frisco Independent School District is expanding a video doorbell system to all its campuses this year.
Once the 2023-24 academic term begins on August 9, the entrances of school buildings across the district will be outfitted with video doorbells comparable to those popularized by the security company Ring.
“It’s similar to Ring, it’s similar to Access, but it’s made by the manufacturer that does most of our cameras and the software that we run the system through,” said Kevin Haller, Frisco ISD’s director of security, according to Community Impact.
The system was already piloted at Smith Elementary School in 2019, followed by a few more elementary and middle schools in the subsequent years. In 2022, Wakeland High School was the first high school to receive the system.
Although the interior doors to schools are locked, Haller said the video doorbell system will provide another level of safety for students and staff.
Anyone passing through the doors must show valid ID, whether they are parents picking up their children from school or a staff member showing up to work.
Haller added that this will prevent more unwanted incidents than just entry by strangers.
“Parents divorce. There’s certain procedures that are set in place; when you can visit, when you can’t visit,” Haller added, according to Community Impact.
“The safest place for our kids to be, when they’re not with their parents, is in one of our schools,” he suggested.
The video doorbell system isn’t the only change Frisco ISD has in store.
As recently reported in The Dallas Express, Frisco ISD is also expanding a pilot of its tech-driven student ID system this fall.
Not only will the software track students’ movements during their daily commute, but it will also make it easier to locate them during an emergency.
Haller noted that the student ID system will also help staff learn students’ names, which itself can help thwart unwanted entries.
“You’re gonna know if it’s a student that you have there; you’re not gonna let him in until somebody can take a look at him,” Haller said, per Community Impact. “They’re not just going to pass him in and show up in the reception area.”
Other North Texas school districts have also been exploring various ways to bolster campus security.
For instance, Mansfield ISD is currently deliberating replacing metal detectors with AI scanners capable of detecting concealed weapons, as The Dallas Express recently reported.
Dallas ISD and Mesquite ISD have both opted to institute clear backpack policies this year, although some education and security experts have questioned how effective this measure will be in terms of improving school safety, as previously reported in The Dallas Express.
