School leaders are responsible for the health and safety of hundreds of staff and students every day. For this reason, it’s essential that they are able to communicate quickly and effectively at all times. Swift, instantaneous mass notification and schoolwide communication capabilities can help school leaders do things like:
- Educate Building Occupants About the Proper Ways to React During Emergency Situations — Though severe weather, active shooters, and other such incidents cannot be prevented, the severity of their effects can be mitigated by relaying reliable information to those affected. This informative communication can help to limit the amount of loss in the case of tragedy, as well as let staff and students know when all is clear.
- Keep Focus on Teaching and Learning — Uncertainty can make the mind wander, which could detract from learning abilities. With the assurance that they will be made aware of any emergency or changes to the daily schedule, teachers and students can focus all necessary attention on the learning time they have together.
OneVue Notify® InfoBoard™ displays can help to communicate emergencies and keep focus on education. These visual message boards are able to display visual-textual messages throughout a facility at the press of a button and are a highly useful tool for communicating in all environments. In busy or loud spaces, like cafeterias, band and choir rooms, and sporting events, these message boards can provide an extra layer of communication when auditory announcements might otherwise get lost in the hubbub.
InfoBoard displays are able to repeat a message for several minutes, making them especially useful for reinforcing communication in emergency situations in case staff or students miss an initial announcement.
Building Knowledge Through Communication
Notify InfoBoard displays provide knowledge, and knowledge is power. By providing pertinent information in easily viewable bites, these displays help students make informed decisions about how to proceed in any situation, from emergency events to impromptu schedule changes. In preschools and elementary schools, the same concept can be applied to teaching staff, who can then ensure students get where they need to be.
InfoBoard displays can also prevent the common fear of the unknown; by incorporating visual messaging into emergency strategies and safety drills, students and staff will know where and what to look for in the case of a real incident. Messages like LOCKDOWN, WEATHER, EVACUATE, or ALL CLEAR can provide directions and updates to help students and staff feel on top of the situation. If building occupants are briefed on the proper way to react to each notification, it can lead to a higher level of safety and lower levels of panic and uncertainty. Some reactions might be:
- Knowing the correct exit routes in case of evacuation
- Taking shelter in the predetermined places during severe weather incidents
- Locking classroom doors and hiding when there is a lockdown
An Added Layer to Confirm Emergencies
In addition to providing communication and knowledge, facility leaders can use InfoBoard displays to confirm or negate the reality of a critical situation. If a fire alarm has been pulled, for example, the displays will either confirm the need to evacuate or communicate that there’s an all clear instead. In this way, staff and students will stay up to date on pressing events and be able to avoid raising false alarm when a situation has been misreported. The control panel for InfoBoard displays will be in a secure area where only security personnel or school leaders can access it, which means staff and students can rely on the InfoBoard messages for accuracy.
There are a multitude of instances in which InfoBoard displays can be a perfect method of communication. Aside from providing directions during emergencies, the displays can help those in the building adapt to a variety of situations where auditory communication might not be the best way to convey a message. For example:
- Loud, bustling areas in which alerts need to be seen rather than heard
- Silent, serious situations that require visual communication rather than verbal
- When hard of hearing individuals are present, they may need alternative methods of communication than the standard audio announcements
Peace of Mind for School Parents With InfoBoard Display Emergency Communication
Beyond school staff and students, parents can rest assured their students’ safety is top priority. In the case that they’ve investigated the security systems implemented by school leaders, they may feel more reassured knowing that emergency strategies are multifaceted and adjusted to account for every type of situation, including those for which visual-textual messaging is necessary. Parental approval can ensure optimal attendance to the school, which, in turn, helps bolster funding — which could make OneVue Notify InfoBoard displays provide a strong return on investment.
OneVue InfoBoard displays can fulfill a variety of purposes, like promoting effective communication, bolstering knowledge about current events within a school, and bringing peace of mind to staff, students, and parents alike — all while providing an extra layer of safety to emergency response plans and reassurance for parents, staff, and students about security in school.
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