Chicomm Blog

School violence is a major problem that needs to be approached from many angles. At Chicago Communications, we focus on communications technology to help educators, staff, and leaders prepare for the worst and stay in touch in an emergency.

We are interested in the big picture—the infrastructure that can help protect the lives and education of our children. How can we keep our schools safer in 2024?

This season’s sleek accessory also happens to be one of the most revolutionary tech innovations: the TLK 25 is a body-worn device that is helping leaders in hospitality, retail, healthcare, and education stay connected and secure.

Understandably, much of the focus on school safety involves what happens to students when they’re on campus, but what about school bus safety? Among the tools for keeping millions of students, coaches, teachers, and drivers safe on buses every day, two-way radios are at the top of the list.

For a variety of reasons, two-way radios are an ideal communications solution for school safety in general, and transportation in particular.

Let’s look at ways to enhance school bus safety with two-way radios.

As more districts are discovering every day, two-way radios in K-12 schools are the centerpiece of any effective safety plan.

Radios outpace cell phones in terms of reliability, durability, and functionality, and there are tailored radio solutions available regardless of the communications challenges schools and districts face.

This safety guide with case studies provides a comprehensive overview of two-way radios in K-12 schools and the options available for overcoming infrastructure, geographic and logistical issues.  

One of the most satisfying parts of my job at Chicago Communications is helping clients such as health care organizations and school systems create centralized security systems that integrate voice, video surveillance and data analytics.

For these customers, having a centralized command center makes all the difference, allowing them to operate security operations at multiple locations.

When schools closed their doors to slow the spread of COVID‑19 in March 2020, many teachers and students found themselves scrambling to navigate new online learning platforms, video conferencing calls, and a sudden absence of face‑to‑face interactions. Standard classroom challenges were quickly compounded by technical difficulties, including.

• Unstable internet connections
• Inadequate capacity on the school virtual private network (VPN)
• Cybersecurity threats
• Long call wait times for campus IT support

Video surveillance plays a key role in increasing safety in education. In line with this, school buses armed with video cameras can capture activities outside and inside each vehicle, providing an extra layer of security for staff and students. Here we look at the Motor GuardianCam technology and what it can mean for your drivers, school, and district.

New studies show declines in school crime nationwide. While student safety is far from guaranteed, this is positive news when it comes to education, and it may be the result of improved security made possible through communications equipment. Here, we take a closer look at the new statistics and the role of technology.

The need for educators to take every opportunity to improve school safety and ensure the well-being of students, faculty and staff has never been more important. To do this, technology is imperative. Here, we look at how team communications for schools can let all parties instantly connect, use their own preferred devices, and take advantage of added intelligence for incident management.

Communication is a critical component of any public safety effort. In a school setting, it’s particularly important that administrators, school resource officers and local law enforcement be able to communicate clearly and effectively for a quick and appropriate response. Yet, too often budgets and competing priorities make the price of a communications strategy too high. That’s where school safety grants can help. Here are three things to keep in mind in finding these grants to purchase the vital communications equipment that can support safety and security in schools.