Background

Nestled along Wisconsin’s Buffalo River, the School District of Mondovi includes the entire city of Mondovi and parts of several townships across Buffalo, Eau Claire, Pepin, and Dunn counties. Totaling 204 square miles in size, the district offers the personal attention of a small school system, alongside the academic and extracurricular opportunities typically found in larger districts.

Heading the district's technology is Brad Elkins, IT Director, with over a decade of service to Mondovi schools. Under his guidance, the district has seen significant improvements in both its educational and security infrastructure, providing a safe and stimulating learning environment.

The Challenge

Brad was among the few who knew how to operate their previous solution, an outdated NVR analog system, which had limited access and often failed to capture critical footage due to its reliance on motion activation. “I had to be physically onsite to access the system, and the footage it captured was often too blurry to be useful.” 

In 2018, a Wisconsin security grant prompted the district to upgrade its video security.  The initial evaluation brought them to Verkada’s hybrid cloud solution. 

Why Verkada

“We've consolidated many of our needs into a single platform, from door security to vape detection.”

Verkada brings health and safety infrastructure – including cameras, access control, air quality sensors, intercom, and visitor management — under one umbrella.  The all-in-one platform is intuitively designed and new features are continuously rolled out through automatic updates at no additional cost. To strengthen emergency response and school safety plans, staff and relevant teams can respond swiftly to incidents that were previously indetectable.

The Result: Finding a Missing Student

“We are responsible for our students when they’re here for the day, which means having an effective emergency response protocol in place. It took just one hour to find the missing student with Verkada, which wouldn’t have been possible with our previous system.”

Brad recalls an incident where a student left campus with someone she met online. Staff were able to identify the vehicle that picked her up and provide detailed information to the police, leading to her safe recovery within an hour. 

Ease of Use for Faculty

The Command software interface is easy to use, without help or training. Alert inbox and incident management tools offer a new level of oversight and responsiveness for any event, from security breaches to health and safety concerns. Alerts for vaping, “person of interest", “vehicle of interest”, door tampering, and after-hours motion help staff detect and address any unusual activity, while promptly validating the incident with integrated cameras. 

"We can swiftly act on alerts, ensuring our school remains a safe environment for everyone. Our principals have a lot on their plates, and being able to deploy and review security footage easily with Verkada has given us back invaluable hours in our day.”

Prevention of Vaping, Vandalism, Bullying, and HVAC Damage

Sensor insights allow the school to help the affected students with anti-vaping materials and interventions, focusing on education rather than punishment. “The primary goal of these sensors isn't just to catch students in the act, but to understand the extent of vaping within schools so we know how to help them.” By pairing these sensors with context cameras, the school has a comprehensive system that respects student privacy while maintaining security and health standards.

“Since installing Verkada air quality sensors, we have seen a significant decrease in vape alerts, from hourly to just about one a day.” This reduction not only reflects the effectiveness of the sensors as a deterrent but also highlights the school's success in promoting healthier student behaviors.

The air quality sensors also prevent vandalism in bathrooms, a challenge amplified by social media trends. By setting a noise threshold, the school can identify unusual levels of noise indicative of destructive behavior or bullying, allowing for timely intervention. Staff are also alerted if the temperature drops below a certain point. “Given the harsh Wisconsin winters and some older HVAC infrastructure, the sensors also alert maintenance staff to temperature drops that could lead to frozen pipes, preventing potential damage.”

Reliable, Hybrid Cloud Cameras with Privacy Features

To withstand subzero winters, Brad uses the outdoor Bullet Series cameras built with IP67 and IK10 protection. Its long-range IR LEDs enable clear images – even at a distance of up to 50 meters – at any time of day.

"The bullet cameras have withstood even the most extreme weather conditions, including a polar vortex with plummeting below-freezing temperatures for four straight days.”

Privacy features, such as face blurring, help protect individual identities during investigations. Unlimited cloud archiving and smart search functionalities empower staff to quickly save footage, find specific events, and monitor areas of interest – such as lockers or classrooms – for missing items or vandalism. These include motion search and trajectory analysis, which open up new avenues for monitoring and investigation. By visually tracking movement through the school, staff can easily identify patterns or investigate specific incidents.

Remote Door Access and Emergency Response

From on-staff coaches to temporary contractors, access credentials can be tailored to individual roles, sites, and other requirements. If a staff member forgets their key, administrators can remotely unlock doors after verifying their identity through cameras, ensuring that activities can proceed without delay.

"Managing entry and door security across our school is simpler and more efficient, allowing us to focus on creating a safe learning environment." 

One-tap lockdowns via a mobile app and door tamper alerts provide the school with the tools necessary to quickly respond to emergencies. Lockdown scenarios can be activated, restricting access to the school to only those with administrative or law enforcement permissions, thereby enhancing the safety and security of students and staff.

Automated Check-In & Check-Out Procedures

The manual check-in process often resulted in long lines and wait times, especially during peak periods such as lunchtime when students leave and re-enter the campus. With Verkada Guest, the process is expedited, reducing congestion and freeing up staff to focus on other critical tasks.

“We can know who is on campus at any given time. Combined with Access Control and Intercom, we improve entrance security along with front-desk operations.”

Verkada Guest integrates with the leading provider of single sign-on (SSO) for schools, Clever, to communicate with some of the most commonly used student information systems (SIS). 

• If a student is tardy, they can check in through Verkada Guest and print a tardy badge. Their arrival time will be logged in the Command for easier reporting. A tardy badge for the student can be printed directly from Guest.

• If a student needs to be picked up early, Verkada Guest can cross-reference with the SIS that the person checking out the student is authorized to do so. Early dismissal records can also easily be transferred back into the SIS, helping to keep important records all in one place.

Looking Ahead: Intercom for Entrance Security & Communications

“Placing intercoms at secretary stations and key entry points gives an additional layer of verification and control. Front desk staff can answer calls from anywhere, while ensuring only authorized individuals can gain access.”

By integrating the Intercom with Guest and Access Control solutions, Brad aims to create a safe, efficient, and welcoming environment. This holistic approach allows for seamless check-ins, direct communication with visitors before they enter the building, improved monitoring of entrances, and the ability to respond swiftly to any security concerns. Furthermore, the flexibility of the system supports better call forwarding and remote access capabilities; communication lines remain open and responsive, even in the absence of front desk personnel..

“Verkada has become our go-to solution for anything related to security, bringing it all under one umbrella. It's truly been a game-changer for us."

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