Background

The Iredell-Statesville School Systems, nestled in the picturesque county of Iredell in North Carolina, is among the 20 largest school districts in the state. With more than 20,000 students, the school system takes safety and security to heart, working closely with the community to develop and maintain site-specific Safe School Plans.

Tim Ivey, Chief Technology, Facilities, and Maintenance Officer, and William Perry, Electronic Supervisor, oversee technology systems and capital improvement projects for the district. They sought to bring fragmented school security systems under a single umbrella, improving the efficiency of daily operations and improving campus safety.

The Challenge

The district spans 41 buildings and a vast geographic area, posing significant logistical challenges. With only two full-time IT staff members – William Perry and a colleague – and one part-time staff member, the team was under considerable strain to manage and maintain an increasingly obsolete, fragmented security system.

"We were spending quite a bit of money on security, constantly replacing old products without making any real progress," Tim Ivey explains. William adds, "The previous system could sometimes not find footage at all. The DVR might be offline and not recording without us knowing, leading to critical gaps in security coverage.” 

Why Verkada: A Scalable System for an Agile Team

Verkada’s introduction into the district marks a significant turning point. Hybrid cloud cameras save footage on-device and in unlimited cloud-based storage, making it reliably available and easily accessible. This shift to a cloud-managed solution not only improves school safety, but also simplifies operations and reduces long-term costs.

“We didn’t want to piecemeal and go to multiple vendors whose products don’t speak to each other,” says  Tim, “We wanted to have a single point of contact and everything working together on one platform.”

The team combines cameras, access control, air quality sensors, intercoms, and guest management behind a single software interface. By centralizing security operations, William and his two-person team can better manage school sites through a web browser or mobile device, enhancing efficiency along with safety.

“We appreciate the ease of having one platform for all physical security,” explains William, “Since starting with Verkada, we expanded to Guest and Intercom. As the product line continues to evolve, we’re finding ways to add value to the district.”

Rapid Incident Response

In emergency situations, the team is empowered to take immediate action, such as locking down doors, coordinating with first responders, and taking immediate action with Verkada Alarms. The intuitive response tools ensure that both school and emergency personnel can react quickly and effectively when timing is critical.

A notable instance involved a security threat where a student brought a weapon to school. William recounts the swift action taken by the school, "The School Resource Officer called us about a weapon on campus. I asked him to send me a picture so I could upload and create a person of interest profile. We then successfully tracked down the student’s backpack.”

William resolved the situation safely within an hour. This rapid response, facilitated by Verkada’s integrated security system, allowed the school to manage the situation efficiently before it could escalate, “The entire process [from identification to resolution] took less than an hour. It was a big improvement over our previous system, which could sometimes take several hours to even locate relevant footage—if at all.”

Streamlined Emergency Response

During emergencies, School Resource Officers (SROs) and local police forces across three municipalities have direct access to the school’s camera systems. Administrators can also remotely access live feeds and recordings from any location. This integration allows for real-time visual assessment of any situation unfolding on campus. "If a school goes into lockdown, I can immediately access the cameras from my office and effectively coordinate with emergency responders or school officials," says Tim, “Through our shared camera feeds, first responders have eyes on the ground.”

The native integration between cameras and access control systems improves coordination with emergency responders. In an emergency, personnel with pre-approved access can enter the buildings immediately without delays. "The SROs and the police municipalities that serve us all have access to the cameras and now can also access the doors as needed," Tim notes. The district also incorporates radios that tie in with Verkada, which facilitates immediate and effective communication between the school’s director of safety, the assisting staff, and first responders.

Proactive Safety Training

Adding access control on campuses with an open university floorplan strengthens the district’s lockdown readiness. “We remove the pressure for staff to lock each classroom door individually,” Tim notes. With access control paired with cameras, designated staff can initiate lockdowns and monitor campus activities remotely.

For safety training, the district conducts two lockdown drills per school each year—one in the fall and another in the spring. These exercises are crucial for ensuring that staff and students are prepared for real-life emergencies. “We've had to devise various methods, including surprise drills, to ensure the effectiveness of our lockdown procedures,” Tim explains. Granular access to doors and Verkada devices also allows for a more nuanced approach to managing campus security. “We can adjust our security measures based on specific needs and situations,” says William.

Faster Investigations

With integrated cameras and access control, it takes significantly less time to handle incidents such as unauthorized entries or doors held open, "Previously, resolving an issue like a propped-open door could take up to an hour or even two. Now, with Verkada's system, we can address it in just 10 minutes," Tim explains. Teams verify and respond to security alerts with confidence. "You're able to pair the footage with the door sensor alerts, which makes it much easier to validate that something is amiss.”

Using Vehicle Analytics, the team identified and stopped the perpetrator of an illegal dumping incident. "I was able to take the vehicle search from the camera and find the culprit putting trash into our elementary school dumpsters," William explains.

Reductions in Vape Alerts

One of the successes has been the 80% reduction in vape-related alerts since adding air quality sensors in middle and high schools. Initially, sensors would trigger around 500 alerts; this number has now dropped to fewer than 100. 

"The vape sensors were another reason we chose Verkada. The air quality sensor is paired with cameras in the hall so if the alert goes off, staff can be notified of people coming out of the bathroom,” Tim highlights, “We have seen a decline in reports of vaping being a major issue, so the sensors have helped.”

Access Control for Staff Efficiency

With the implementation of Verkada Pass, a mobile app that functions as a digital keycard, all staff members now use their iPhones to access school buildings. "We moved all of our staff to access controls instead of letting them have keys. So they all use their phones. We don't give out cards anymore," Tim notes. This shift not only reduces the physical burden of carrying multiple keys but also decreases the security risks associated with lost or stolen keycards. 

The use of smartphones for access control introduces a higher level of convenience and flexibility, enabling staff to move through various campus locations with ease. It also allows for quick adjustments in access permissions, which is especially useful in emergencies where securing or opening specific doors from a remote location can be crucial.

Remote Entry Control with Intercom

Intercoms at school entrances enable office staff to see and communicate with individuals before granting them access. "It keeps the staff safer, allowing them to see and talk to who is buzzing in, instead of just opening the door for anyone," adds William.

William is preparing to add access control to an automated gate at one of their schools. This would allow staff to unlock gates with their smartphones through Bluetooth, "When staff drive in, they'll be able to use their phone and Bluetooth to open the gate. On the security side, we can track who's coming in and out," he explains, detailing how this technology will also be used for tracking access after hours without the need for physical keys.

After school hours, Intercom helps manage deliveries and visitor access when regular staff may not be present. “Intercom is a way for people to check in at our main campus here. They can hit the intercom button and say, 'I'm here to drop off a delivery,' then our staff can open the gate remotely to let them in," William describes. 

Improved Visitor Management

Guest improves the visitor check-in experience and security protocols, keeping students and staff safe while reducing the administrative burden on school staff. The school assigns specific badges based on the visitor category, such as parent, student, contractor, or candidate. Color-coded badge printing also makes it easy to distinguish between different types of visitors at a glance. 

With the integration of Checkr, a modern background check platform, individuals who pose a potential threat are quickly identified. "We’ve done the Checkr integration, which has come a long way from when we first had it," William reflects, "We include multiple choice questions for visitor screening, making the check-in process both thorough and user-friendly. If I need to make adjustments, I can do so remotely.”

Long-Term Cost Savings

The district also saw a substantial return on investment, reallocating funds from legacy equipment maintenance to their Verkada deployment. Tim highlights, "After a five-year contract, the next five years will cost significantly less, allowing us to bank those savings for future needs.”

Automatic software and firmware updates are included in their software license, along with 10-year warranties on most Verkada products. Tim adds, “Over time, your initial cost of Verkada is less than what you might pay for a lesser product. You’ll continue to receive software and firmware updates, and it’s a long-term solution that works together to provide you with a holistic, better security system. The investment that you make as a school district is so much better with Verkada than everything else I’ve seen.”

Simple to Install, Use, and Manage

Previously, setting up a single camera could take up to an hour and a half, involving complex configurations. With Verkada, this time is significantly reduced – it takes just 30 minutes to bring a camera online. “One camera takes a third of the time to install,” notes William.

From the easy-to-use Command platform, staff can keep tabs on safety incidents and daily tasks across their designated school areas; everything from addressing vaping and bullying, to accepting deliveries and sharing incident footage. Having a cloud-managed platform enables most management tasks to be performed remotely from a mobile app or web browser. Additionally, staff can contact Verkada’s 24/7 support team at any time quickly resolve issues.

Looking Ahead

Iredell-Statesville Schools is continuing to refine their safety and security measures with Verkada. Looking at new products, Tim sees value in using the cellular gateway for stadium security, "As Verkada introduces new products, we keep seeing opportunities.”

He concludes, “If a school district had the option to deploy multiple Verkada products at once the way we did, I would highly recommend it. In a very short period of time, you’ll see the total impact.”

To learn more, attend an upcoming webinar or request a free live demo.