Elevate Your School’s Security with Cutting-Edge Technology: Join Us for the Fall 2024 School Safety Breakfast Seminar Series

WSI Comandix on September 5, 2024

School safety is a top priority for educators, administrators, and parents alike. As threats evolve and technology advances, it’s crucial to stay ahead of the curve. That’s why our Eastern DataComm team is excited to announce the Fall 2024 School Safety Breakfast Seminar Series, a transformative event designed specifically for school leaders who are committed to enhancing their institution’s security.

Presented by Eastern DataComm and ZeroNow, in collaboration with Verkada, this seminar, titled “Enhancing School Security through Innovative Tech,” is your opportunity to dive deep into the latest advancements in school safety technology.

Here you’ll find all the vital details you need to know so you can join us for one of these crucially informative events.

Event Details

TIME:

Registration & Check-In: 8:30 am to 9:00 am

Educational Session: 9:00 am to 12:00 pm

Dates & Locations

Tuesday, October 8th: Maggiano’s of Hackensack, NJ

Maggiano’s of Hackensack

70 Riverside Square Mall
Hackensack, NJ 07601-6360

Wednesday, October 9th: Hilton Long Island/Huntington, NY

Hilton Long Island/Huntington

598 Broad Hollow Road
Melville, NY 11747-5002

Tuesday, October 15th: Hilton Garden Inn Washington, DC/Greenbelt, MD

Hilton Garden Inn Washington, DC/Greenbelt

7810 Walker Drive
Greenbelt, MD 20770

Wednesday, October 16th: Maggiano’s of Bridgewater, NJ

Maggiano’s of Bridgewater

600 Commons Way
Bridgewater, NJ 08807

Tuesday, October 29th: Hilton Garden Inn Hartford South, CT

Hilton Garden Inn Hartford South

85 Glastonbury Boulevard
Glastonbury, CT 06033

Wednesday, October 30th: MOESC, Tinton Falls, NJ

MOESC

100 Tornillo Way
Tinton Falls, NJ 07712

** Breakfast will be served at no cost for all registered attendees. **

For more information and to register, visit our event page.

Who Should Attend?

This event provides critical and cutting-edge information for key school district stakeholders including:

  • K–12 Superintendents and Business Administrators
  • School Safety and Security Professionals
  • Directors of Facilities/Operations
  • School District IT Professionals
  • Higher Education Administrators
  • Those leaders in education who are entrusted with ensuring effective daily communication and comprehensive safety for school district students, faculty, staff, and visitors

Why Should You Attend?

In today’s rapidly changing world, ensuring the safety and security of students and staff is more important than ever. Our seminar will feature expert-led sessions covering a range of innovative technologies designed to enhance school security. Here’s what you can expect:

1. Advanced Video Surveillance with AI: Discover how cutting-edge video surveillance technologies, powered by artificial intelligence, are revolutionizing school security. Learn about advanced analytics, real-world applications, and how these technologies can provide actionable insights to improve safety.

2. Innovative Access Control Systems: Explore modern access control solutions that enhance security by managing who enters and exits your school. Find out how these systems can integrate with other security measures to provide a comprehensive safety net.

3. Environmental Sensors: From detecting vaping and aggressive language to monitoring temperature, environmental sensors play a critical role in early warning systems. Learn about the different types of sensors and their integration with other technologies to create a safer school environment.

4. Emergency Notification Solutions: Effective emergency notification systems are vital for quick communication during crises. Our experts will share best practices and technologies that ensure timely and efficient notifications.

5. Paging, Bell, and Clock Solutions: Discover how coordinated communication systems contribute to overall safety by streamlining messaging and alerts across your campus.

6. VoIP Phone Systems: Understand the benefits of Voice over IP technology for school security and communication, and how it integrates with other systems to enhance overall safety.

7. Implementation Strategies and Best Practices: Gain insights into integrating various technologies into your existing infrastructure, budgeting, and ongoing maintenance to ensure long-term success.

What’s Included?

Free Breakfast: Start your day with a complimentary breakfast, and use this opportunity to network with peers and experts in the field.

Expert Insights: Hear from thought leaders at Eastern DataComm and ZeroNow about the latest trends and solutions in school safety.

Networking Opportunities: Connect with fellow school leaders, exchange ideas, and discuss challenges and solutions in an informal setting.

Why Is This Educational Experience So Important?

School safety is not just about responding to incidents but about proactively creating an environment where students and staff can thrive without fear. By attending this seminar, you’ll be equipped with the knowledge and tools to develop and implement comprehensive safety strategies tailored to your school’s needs. You’ll leave with actionable insights and practical solutions to enhance your school’s security infrastructure, ensuring a safer learning environment for all.

Who Is Zeronow?

ZeroNow is the safety community’s movement to end harmful events in our schools. As a member-based non-profit, ZeroNow facilitates collaboration between industry, associations, and education partners to foster new solutions to keep our campuses safe and secure.

ZeroNow brings safety assets and education safety leaders together to establish the standards for school safety technology. We drive a unified voice to educate policymakers on the need for increased investment in school safety. For more information, please visit www.zeronow.org.

Why Is This Partnership Important?

By integrating Eastern DataComm’s cutting-edge technology solutions with ZeroNow’s focus on innovative school safety practices, this collaboration aims to enhance the preparedness of schools to handle emergencies swiftly and efficiently, ultimately saving lives. The emphasis on removing the human element from emergency communication is particularly important, as it reduces the risk of errors during critical moments.

Those school leaders who attend our event will garner valuable insights and practical strategies for improving school safety. Attendees will learn about the latest advancements in emergency response and communication, gain access to educational resources, and feel better equipped to connect with their staff regarding how to create a safer environment for the students entrusted to their care.

Together with ZeroNow and Eastern DataComm, we can make our schools safer for all those who enter them.

Reserve Your Seat Today

Don’t miss this invaluable opportunity to advance your school’s safety measures. Spaces are limited, so we encourage you to register early to secure your spot.

Click here to register for one of our seminar locations today!

Join us in October to gain the expertise needed to stay ahead of potential threats and implement cutting-edge solutions that will safeguard your school community. We look forward to seeing you there and working together to create a safer future for our students and staff.

For more information and to register, visit our event page.

Let’s take the next step in enhancing school security through innovative technology.

More About Our Presenters

Paul Jenne - Eastern DataComm National School Safety Adviso

Paul Jenne

Eastern DataComm National School Safety Advisor

Paul Jenne leads business development at Eastern DataComm, a safety and communications company with over 30 years of experience serving schools, businesses, and municipalities. As a father of three, school safety is a priority for him. He has worked with hundreds of schools, helping them create safer environments through effective technology. Paul’s goal is to improve day-to-day communications and provide cost-effective solutions to enhance community safety.

Dr. Kevin Eberle - ZERONOW

Dr. Kevin Eberle

ZERONOW

Dr. Kevin Eberle is a retired School teacher, Administrator, and COO for the past 32 years. He is presently an Education Consultant focusing on leadership, safety, and mental health. His passion is to keep students and teachers safe in the school setting. Through training with Trauma-Informed Care and using Restorative Practices in the educational setting, the culture and fabric of any school can become an effective learning environment where students can succeed. As a prior police officer before entering into education, Dr. Eberle was trained in emergency response and critical thinking as a tactical officer which assisted in helping create safe schools throughout his educational career.

Dr. Eberle will be co-presenting at all of our New Jersey and New York seminars.

Jeff Kelly - ZERONOW

Jeff Kelly

ZERONOW

Jeff Kelly is a ZeroNow Advisory Council member.  He is a veteran of law enforcement and emergency management. As Director of K12 Solutions at Mutualink, he specializes in school safety solutions and is responsible for designing and implementing solutions nationally.

Mr. Kelly will co-present for our Connecticut seminar.

Jason Stoddard - ZERONOW

Jason Stoddard

ZERONOW

Jason Stoddard is the Director of School Safety and Security for the Charles County Public Schools (MD) and chair of the National Council of School Safety Directors (NCSSD). He is responsible for sustaining a safe learning and work environment for over 27,000 students and nearly 4,000 staff members. Since coming to the public schools in April of 2018, he has created the Office of School Safety and Security, been awarded millions of dollars in grant money, implemented major evolutions such as revolving backgrounds for all employees, options-based active shooter response, the “I love u guys” Foundation Standard Response Protocols, a state of art radio communication system with public safety interoperability, first its kind intelligence unit, drone program and most recently install Gun Detect, an artificial intelligence driven solution for surveillance cameras in all the system schools. Originally from a small town in Iowa, Mr. Stoddard came to the Washington, DC area while serving as a Security Police Officer in the United States Air Force. After completing his service obligation, he embarked on a career in civilian law enforcement. He spent over 20 years with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office rising to the rank of Lieutenant. His executive command assignments include tours within the Patrol Division, Special Operations Section (overseeing the SWAT team, K-9, Marine, Traffic, and Civil Disturbance), and Homeland Security and Intelligence Sections.  He has a master’s degree in organizational leadership. He is a graduate of the Northwestern University, School of Police Staff and Command, and the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Program.

Mr. Stoddard also serves as an adjunct professor at several universities, teaches executive-level leadership for the Maryland Police Training Commission, has authored several articles for magazines on topics ranging from school safety to organizational leadership, serves as a consultant for the Department of Justice and National Institutes of Justice, sits on several advisory boards, and has often traveled the country teaching school safety, active assailant response, leadership, data/evidence-based decision making, and crisis communications, and incident management.

Mr Stoddared will co-present for our Maryland seminar.

Eastern DataComm: ZeroNow’s Newest Industry Partner

WSI Comandix on July 3, 2024

Eastern DataComm is proud to announce that it has been accepted as the latest ZeroNow industry partner, joining this impactful organization in its mission to keep schools safer.

ZeroNow is a non-profit alliance that brings together stakeholders in school security to connect about experiences and develop new solutions to ensure schools remain secure. Teachers, security specialists, technology experts, and students all play a role in ZeroNow’s mission to bring school violence to zero.

Uniquely Positioned for Positive Impact

Eastern DataComm is not only passionate about ZeroNow’s mission, we’re also a uniquely qualified industry partner for ZeroNow.

As communications and safety solutions technology specialists, we’re experienced in providing schools across the country the technology solutions they need to safeguard their communities. From video surveillance and access control to emergency notification, environmental sensors, VoIP phone systems, and paging systems, our team has worked with schools for over three decades to help them better protect their students and staff. Each cutting-edge tech solution we provide is designed to integrate and improve the school safety ecosystem of every customer we serve.

Taking Steps to Make Schools Safer

ZeroNow has laid out a set of steps that guide the Path to Safer Schools. At Eastern DataComm our efforts mirror many of those steps as well.

Our diagnostic and consultative process is designed to help school leaders and stakeholders assess potential gaps and vulnerabilities so that areas of need can be prioritized.

We design technology solutions that integrate so that the chance for human error is reduced and our customers can respond to threats as quickly as possible when every moment counts.

We work with our customers to explore potential sources of funding to cover costs for the enhancements they’ll need to improve their safety and communications infrastructure. Without an advisor in their corner, this process can prevent those who have never gone through a grant exploration or other funding search process from taking advantage of potential funding opportunities within their reach. We believe that nothing should stop our clients from ensuring the safety of their buildings and grounds. At every step in our process, the goal is the same: keep students, staff, and visitors connected and protected.

Putting Collaboration and Safety Planning at the Forefront

“ZeroNow is fully aware of the challenge to first responders when the call comes from a noisy environment and the caller is understandably panicked,” said Ara Bagdasarian, Co-Founder of ZeroNow. “Step Two on Zero Now’s Path to Safer Schools deals with assessing vulnerability, and we encourage every school to have an Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) that covers what happens before, during, and after an emergency. Fast reporting saves lives, and Eastern DataComm’s focus on removing the human element from emergency communication processes eliminates a major obstacle to that.”

We share this commitment to preparedness and take it to heart. That’s why when we meet with customers, we approach their challenges with collaboration and a diagnostic eye to assess their areas of strength and need. Planning takes a holistic approach so that every aspect of their school safety ‘big picture’ – their ecosystem – is considered. And we ensure they know that working with us means they have more than a vendor, they have a trusted partner in protecting their schools and districts.

Cutting-Edge Solutions and Forward-Thinking Integrations

“Eastern DataComm is proud to join ZeroNow in its mission to increase the pace of innovation and investment in school safety. This mindset mirrors our own passion for keeping schools connected and protected through cutting-edge technology solutions that empower clear communication, especially during emergency events when every second counts.

“In addition to our own technology solutions, we share ZeroNow’s dedication to providing educational resources to our customers and partners. We understand the magnitude and reach their decisions have when it comes to protecting young minds and educators. We remain dedicated to assisting school leaders with that process by creating and sharing impactful safety and technology resources,” says Al Harnisch, CEO of Eastern DataComm.

Eastern DataComm believes in driving the industry forward with state-of-the-art technology, solutions that serve multiple functions within a school community like cellular repeaters, environmental sensors, clocks, paging systems, VoIP systems, access control, and video surveillance – solutions that make safety and communication accessible for all.

We also value helping our customers stay in-the-know and within compliance regulations for their state, as well as on a federal level. We look for opportunities to assist with funding technology improvements, helping them keep up with the pace of innovation, and allowing them to pave the way forward for uncompromised safety in their region. When it comes to building safety leadership with a vendor partner by their side to handle all of their physical security technology needs, schools look no further than Eastern DataComm. Because together, we can keep our schools safe. Read more about this exciting time for both ZeroNow and Eastern DataComm in this press release.

Connect with Eastern DataComm

To learn more about how our Eastern DataComm team can help keep your school community connected and protected, book a complimentary consultation here.

LENS Customization Meets School District’s Unique Safety Requirements

WSI Comandix on December 7, 2021

In the wake of the horrific 2018 school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, a Federal Commission on Safety was established to research and recommend best practice solutions to improve school safety. As part of its final report, the commission recommended a multilayered approach to physical security that addresses the needs of diverse student populations, including students with disabilities.

That’s a recommendation that resonated with officials at the Berkeley Heights (NJ) Public School District.

The district comprises six schools serving approximately 2,500 students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12. Governor Livingston High School is well known throughout the region for its award-winning inclusive education program for deaf, hard of hearing and cognitively impaired students.

The safety of those students was a high priority when the district embarked on a project to improve its emergency notification system in 2019. Officials quickly discovered that longtime technology provider Eastern DataComm could provide the ideal solution.

Meeting Special Needs

Our team at Eastern DataComm, which has been supporting the district’s Mitel phone system for many years, showed officials how its proven Lockdown and Emergency Notification System (LENS) could be integrated with the phone system to boost security across the district’s six school buildings. Best of all, the system could easily be customized to meet the unique requirements of its hearing-impaired population.

In a recent case study, Mike Skara, the technology coordinator for Berkeley Heights Schools, noted that most notification systems are highly reliant on horns, loudspeakers and public address notifications to warn students, teachers and staff of an emergency. The district would need a system that featured more visual alerts for students in the high school’s deaf and hard-of-hearing program.

Our engineering specialists at Eastern DataComm accounted for such scenarios when originally designing the LENS solution. In addition to generating emergency notifications over phones, intercoms and loudspeakers, the system integrates strobe lights and LED signage to deliver visual cues. Accommodating Berkeley Heights’ special requirements only involved adding additional signs and lights in the high school’s classrooms and common areas such as the cafeteria.

Multiple Methods of Communication

EDC further customized the system to integrate with the school district’s Google G Suite collection of cloud-based tools that enable digital communication and collaboration between students and teachers. That creates additional avenues for delivering emergency notifications with alerts transmitted by phone, text and email. Additionally, notifications can be designated for distinct audiences in different buildings.

There was no guesswork with the LENS solution, either. Eastern DataComm has implemented LENS in hundreds of K-12 schools and municipalities in the New York/New Jersey Tri-State area.

“It’s a well-designed solution that was already being widely used, so it was pretty clear it would check off all the boxes for us,” said Skara. “Plus, Eastern DataComm was able to customize it for our particular needs.”

School safety and security solutions must account for the needs of all students, and provide for multiple modes of communication with administrators, staff, teachers, first responders and law enforcement. Eastern DataComm’s LENS solution prepares schools to respond rapidly in any emergency.

Is your school best prepared to handle the worst? Get the conversation started by contacting us by phone (201)-457-3311 or email [email protected] today.

Proud Member Of

Society of Communications Technology Consultants International SCTC logo
New Jersey School Boards Association NJSBA logo
Educational Services Commission of New Jersey ESCNJ logo
Monmouth Ocean Educational Services Commission MOESC logo
Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents CAPSS logo