Insights

Writing on school and campus safety.

What we are learning from the schools, campuses and agencies we work with.

A smiling school staff member with a lanyard answers a desk phone at a sunlit school front office while a colleague with a clipboard stands nearby.

Oct 28, 2026 · VOLT

Who Answers a Vape Alert? A School Restroom Response Plan

A vape sensor can tell you which restroom and when, but not who. Here is how to decide who answers a vape alert in each period, and when a counselor joins.

Students leaving a brick campus classroom building on a sunny afternoon.

Oct 27, 2026 · VOLT

When Campus Buildings Lock in the Evening: Making "Person Detected After Hours" Useful

On most campuses, the quiet part of the day is the evening. Classes end, offices close, and a handful of students and staff stay late to study, rehearse or finish lab work. That is also when a building that is supposed to be closed can quietly turn into a place where no one is keeping watch.

A staff member crouches on sunny campus library steps and hands a water bottle to a seated student, while a second staff member walks over.

Oct 23, 2026 · VOLT

When Someone on Campus Needs Help: Getting Staff There Fast

When a student or colleague needs help, the minutes that matter are spent finding the right person and the right place. Here is how campus teams shorten them.

Smiling families and students carrying clear stadium bags walk through a high school stadium gate in late-afternoon sun as friendly volunteers greet them, with bleachers and the field behind.

Oct 21, 2026 · VOLT

High School Football Game Security: Planning Game Day Beyond the Gate

A clear bag rule handles the gate. Here is how school districts plan the rest of a home game, from the ticket line to the stands to the parking lot, with the staff they already have.

A smiling school office staffer greets a father and his young daughter through an open sign-in window, with sunlit glass vestibule doors and student artwork in the lobby behind them.

Oct 20, 2026 · VOLT

Secure Vestibules in Schools: Planning the Front Office Around the New Entrance

A secure vestibule controls the front door. Here is how schools plan the front office, the lobby and the hours around arrival and dismissal so the new entry works every day.

A school safety team of a principal, facilities lead, counselor and school resource officer talks around a sunlit library table with a printed checklist and a laptop.

Oct 20, 2026 · VOLT

School Security Assessment Checklist: Turn Your Score Into a Plan

Use this school security assessment checklist to take your free 10-question readiness score into your next safety meeting: who to invite, what low answers mean, and what to fix first.

Campus at sunrise as an officer walks the path past the residence hall toward the parking deck.

Oct 20, 2026 · VOLT

Night-Shift Beats: Planning Campus Police Patrol Routes for the Overnight Hours

How campus police chiefs can plan overnight patrol beats: hot spots by hour, the zones that matter after dark, thin staffing, dispatch handoffs and city lines.

A smiling young student holds a red playground ball on a sunny school blacktop while a classroom aide kneels beside her at eye level. Other children play near a playground in the background.

Oct 16, 2026 · VOLT

Planning School Cameras for Busy Outdoor Areas, One Phase at a Time

Small districts often add school cameras in phases as grants allow. Here is how to choose which busy outdoor areas to cover first and make each phase useful.

A school staff member kneels to talk with a smiling young student outside a sunlit school entrance as her father and other families wait calmly nearby.

Oct 16, 2026 · VOLT

School Family Reunification Plan: A Step-by-Step Guide for K-12

How K-12 schools build a family reunification plan: sites, roles, confirmed release, family communication, drills and a printable checklist, with free federal guidance.

A front-office staff member warmly greets a smiling student and her father as they walk into a bright, sunlit school lobby.

Oct 15, 2026 · John Booth

How AI Camera Software Spots Visible Weapons in Schools

What AI camera software can and can't do about weapons at school: it acts on what a camera can see, works alongside screening, and keeps people in the loop.

Event staff member in a navy polo smiles and points a family toward the entrance as fans walk across a sunlit plaza outside a college stadium before a game.

Oct 15, 2026 · VOLT

College Event Security: A Practical Plan for Game Days, Concerts and Commencement

How colleges and universities plan security for game days, concerts and commencement: crowd flow, roles, entry policy, medical readiness and communications.

Four school staff members talk around a wooden table with notebooks and mugs in a sunlit meeting room.

Oct 14, 2026 · VOLT

How to Compare School Security Systems

A practical framework for comparing school security systems: the categories, the questions to ask, and a simple scoring sheet for your committee.

A staff member in a bright safety vest waves a calm line of cars along a sunlit elementary school curb while students with backpacks wait behind orange cones with a teacher.

Oct 14, 2026 · VOLT

School Arrival and Dismissal Procedures: A Practical Safety Guide

How to plan safe school arrival and dismissal procedures: separate the bus loop and car line, staff the right posts, and handle late or unknown pickups.

A school resource officer listens as a staff member points down a sunlit school hallway during a calm handoff, with students walking in the background.

Oct 13, 2026 · VOLT

From First Flag to Handoff: Working a Live Floor-Plan Track on Campus

How a small campus safety team uses a live 3D floor-plan track, from the first flag to the moment responders arrive.

A school staff member in a light-blue shirt walks along a sunny landscaped path toward the glass entrance of a modern brick school building.

Oct 13, 2026 · VOLT

K-12 School Security Self-Assessment: A Step-by-Step Guide

A vendor-neutral, step-by-step guide for K-12 safety teams to score their own campus across ten sections, from emergency planning to family reunification, and turn gaps into a plan.

Two smiling college students walk side by side along a sunlit brick path across a green campus quad, beneath a large oak tree and in front of a red-brick academic building.

Oct 13, 2026 · VOLT

Real-Time Campus Camera Monitoring With the Cameras You Already Have

Campus boards are asking how officers can see camera feeds in real time. Here is how the cameras a campus already has can flag the moments worth a look.

A small dome camera under the eave of a brick school building, with a leafy schoolyard beyond.

Oct 2, 2026 · VOLT

Weapon Detection for the Cameras You Already Have

A fall, a fight, someone where they shouldn’t be, tracked on a 3D floor plan. Weapon detection runs on the same cameras you already have.

A staff member in a school hallway in daylight.

Oct 2, 2026 · VOLT

Caring Eyes on the Moments That Matter

AI video safety for schools: caring eyes on the moments that matter. Reviewed by a person by default.

Sep 25, 2026 · VOLT

Someone Is Always Looking Out: Use the Cameras You Have

Your school safety team can't be everywhere. VOLT helps the cameras you already have look out for the moments that matter. By default, a VOLT reviewer checks it before your team is notified.

Sep 25, 2026 · VOLT

Caring Eyes, Not Prying Ones: AI Video Safety for Schools

What responsible AI video safety really means for schools—human moments, not fear. Moments, not identities. Cameras you already have.

Sep 21, 2026 · VOLT

AI Video Analytics in K-12: A Compliance Guide for School Districts

FERPA, state biometric laws, vendor contracts and new AI statutes — what US school districts need to check before deploying AI video analytics.

A school staff member standing in a bright corridor as students walk past between classes.

Sep 18, 2026 · Dmitry Sokolowski

Vape Detectors in Schools: What They Cost and Catch

What vape detectors cost per bathroom, what they can and cannot detect, why cameras are never allowed in restrooms, and what the evidence says works better.

VOLT- catch the risk threat early - the importance of behavioral threat assesments

Sep 1, 2026 · Demetrius Anderson

Catching Risk Early: Behavioral Threat Assessments

How to build a campus behavioral threat assessment team that catches risk early.

Aug 18, 2026 · Demetrius Anderson

Controlling the Front Door: Access Control on an Open Campus

Open campuses don't need to choose between access control and openness. Learn layered, zoned credentialing that keeps doors welcoming and risk out.

VOLT helps universities sees the whole picture with the security team and cameras they already have.

Aug 11, 2026 · Demetrius Anderson

Seeing the Whole Picture: AI and the Cameras You Have

Campus safety. From cameras that store everything and understand nothing, to cameras that surface the moments a person actually needs to act on.

Demetrius Anderson discusses CPTED for modern university and college campuses

Jul 28, 2026 · Demetrius Anderson

Reading the Environment: CPTED for the Modern Campus

CPTED turns your campus into its own first line of defense. Walk it after dark with this 10-question field sheet for campus safety directors.

Jul 21, 2026 · Demetrius Anderson

Is Your Campus Truly Safe... Or Just Highly Equipped?

Cameras don't make a campus safe—programs do. A framework for shifting your campus from reactive tool-buying to proactive, prevention-first safety.

VOLT and Centegix Partner to Improve School Safety with AI

Jul 7, 2026 · Shannon Johlic

VOLT | CENTEGIX Partner to Make Schools Safer with AI

VOLT now connects directly to the CENTEGIX Safety Platform, turning existing school cameras into real-time safety tools.

Clay County student arrested after loaded gun found in vehicle on school campus. Security leaders examine detection gaps and response protocols.

Mar 12, 2026 · VOLT

Clay County Student Arrested with Loaded Gun on School Campus

Clay County student arrested after loaded gun found in vehicle on school campus. Security leaders examine detection gaps and response protocols.

Stanford study finds pro-gun groups dramatically increase election spending after school shootings. Critical implications for campus security leaders.

Mar 12, 2026 · VOLT

Gun Lobby Spending Surges After School Shootings

Stanford study finds pro-gun groups dramatically increase election spending after school shootings. Critical implications for campus security leaders.

Teen arrested with handgun at Eastern Wayne High School highlights critical gaps in weapon detection systems. Essential insights for security leaders.

Mar 12, 2026 · VOLT

Eastern Wayne High School Teen Arrested with Handgun

Teen arrested with handgun at Eastern Wayne High School highlights critical gaps in weapon detection systems. Essential insights for security leaders.

Gaithersburg High School student arrested with loaded gun highlights weapon detection gaps. How AI security systems prevent campus threats.

Mar 12, 2026 · VOLT

Gaithersburg High School Student Arrested with Loaded Handgun

Gaithersburg High School student arrested with loaded gun highlights weapon detection gaps. How AI security systems prevent campus threats.

Indiana's mandate requiring public colleges to accept Classic Learning Test creates security funding implications for institutions adapting to policy changes.

Mar 12, 2026 · VOLT

Indiana Policy Change and Security Funding

Indiana's mandate requiring public colleges to accept Classic Learning Test creates security funding implications for institutions adapting to policy changes.

GSA's proposed DEI funding ban for federal recipients including schools reshapes security investment strategies. Learn funding implications for administrators.

Mar 12, 2026 · VOLT

GSA DEI Funding Ban and School Security Priorities

GSA's proposed DEI funding ban for federal recipients including schools reshapes security investment strategies. Learn funding implications for administrators.

New Orleans schools face enrollment drops to lowest levels since Katrina, creating security funding challenges. Discover funding strategies for districts.

Mar 12, 2026 · VOLT

New Orleans Enrollment Drop Threatens Security Funding

New Orleans schools face enrollment drops to lowest levels since Katrina, creating security funding challenges. Discover funding strategies for districts.

Weapon detection technology at Druid Hills High School successfully identified a threat in a student backpack, showcasing AI security systems in action.

Mar 12, 2026 · VOLT

Druid Hills Weapon Detection Catches a Threat

A look at weapon detection at Druid Hills High School. VOLT detects handguns, long guns, and knives that are visible to the camera.

Gun found in Ballard High School student's backpack raises questions about current screening methods. How AI weapon detection addresses gaps.

Mar 12, 2026 · VOLT

Ballard High Gun Discovery and Screening Methods

A gun found at Ballard High School raises questions about screening. VOLT detects handguns, long guns, and knives that are visible to the camera.

Parents express concerns about new AI-powered weapons detection systems in schools. Learn what security leaders need to know about implementation challenges.

Mar 12, 2026 · VOLT

Parents Voice Concerns Over AI Weapons Detection

Parents express concerns about new AI-powered weapons detection systems in schools. Learn what security leaders need to know about implementation challenges.

Where Does Your District Actually Stand? K-12 Security Maturity by District Type

Mar 9, 2026 · VOLT

Where Does Your District Stand on Security Maturity?

Security maturity benchmarks across four district types, why video monitoring is the common weak spot, and what to fix first.

Mar 9, 2026 · VOLT

How to Assess Your School’s Security Maturity in 90 Days

How to run a 90-day security assessment using the CMSP framework, across eight domains and five maturity levels.

One Person, Seventeen Hats: Rethinking How K-12 Districts Staff School Security

Mar 9, 2026 · VOLT

One Person, Seventeen Hats: K-12 Security Staffing

How districts with small teams and tight budgets use monitoring to cover more without adding headcount.

The Security Measures Your Staff and Students Are Quietly Undermining

Mar 9, 2026 · VOLT

The Security Measures Your Staff Quietly Undermine

Door propping, shared credentials and skipped training, and how to build a security culture that people actually follow.

Mar 9, 2026 · VOLT

Why Most School Alarm Systems Are Living on Borrowed Time

Why many K-12 alarm systems still rely on sensors that cry wolf, and what visual verification changes for responders.

Mar 9, 2026 · VOLT

School Emergency Response Plans: Where They Fall Short

Most K-12 emergency response plans are stronger than assumed. Where the remaining delay sits, and how to close it.

Controlled access at a K-12 school entrance

Mar 9, 2026 · VOLT

Controlled Access in K-12: Most Schools Are Still at Level 1

Most K-12 schools reporting controlled access run little more than a locked front door. What fuller access control involves.

Mar 9, 2026 · VOLT

Your School Has Cameras. That Doesn’t Mean It Has Security.

Most schools have cameras but little live monitoring. How AI turns passive recording into earlier detection.

Mar 9, 2026 · VOLT

Your School's Biggest Vulnerability Is the Network

How a network breach can take out cameras, access control and mass notification at once, and what districts can do.

Mar 9, 2026 · VOLT

How to Build a School Security Plan That Actually Gets Funded

How to turn a security wish list into a funded plan, covering Alyssa's Law compliance and a five-year roadmap boards approve.

FBI investigates coordinated hoax threats targeting 35+ Ohio schools, triggering lockdowns across Greater Cincinnati. What the incident reveals about multi-layered threat response protocols for K-12 security teams.

Mar 9, 2026 · VOLT

FBI Investigates Hoax Threats at 35+ Ohio Schools

Coordinated hoax threats triggered lockdowns across Greater Cincinnati. What it shows about layered response protocols.

A student tip prevented a potentially dangerous situation at a south Phoenix elementary school after a gun was found on campus. What the Sunland STEAM Academy incident reveals about the critical role of student reporting culture in K-12 threat prevention.

Mar 9, 2026 · VOLT

Student Tip Leads to Gun Removal at Phoenix School

A student tip found a gun at Sunland STEAM Academy. What it shows about reporting culture in K-12 threat prevention.

Ligon Magnet Middle School in Raleigh cleared after gun report investigated March 3rd. Learn how schools can strengthen weapon detection capabilities.

Mar 9, 2026 · VOLT

Ligon Magnet Middle School Raleigh Gun Report Investigation

Ligon Magnet Middle School in Raleigh cleared after gun report investigated March 3rd. Learn how schools can strengthen weapon detection capabilities.

Student arrested with loaded handgun at Northwoods Middle School exposes weapon detection challenges. Learn how AI systems enhance school safety.

Mar 9, 2026 · VOLT

Loaded Handgun Found at Northwoods Middle School

Student arrested with loaded handgun at Northwoods Middle School exposes weapon detection challenges. Learn how AI systems enhance school safety.

Father convicted in Georgia school shooting case sets legal precedent. What this means for institutional security responsibilities and prevention strategies.

Mar 9, 2026 · VOLT

Georgia Conviction Sets a Campus Security Precedent

Father convicted in Georgia school shooting case sets legal precedent. What this means for institutional security responsibilities and prevention strategies.

A student was stabbed in a bathroom at St. James High School in Horry County, South Carolina on March 4, 2026. The incident raises critical questions about blind spot coverage in school security — specifically in spaces where cameras typically don't go.

Mar 9, 2026 · VOLT

Stabbing at St. James High: The Blind Spot Problem

A student was stabbed in a bathroom at St. James High School, Horry County, on 4 March 2026. What it raises about blind spots.

Ohio's student cell phone ban is under scrutiny after a statewide swatting scheme triggered school lockdowns Wednesday. The debate reveals a real tension between classroom policy and crisis communication that security directors can't ignore.

Mar 9, 2026 · VOLT

Ohio's Cell Phone Ban After the Lockdown Wave

Ohio's student phone ban is under scrutiny after a statewide swatting wave. The tension between policy and crisis comms.

A Texas-based company is piloting indoor drone systems designed to suppress active threats in schools before law enforcement arrives. Here's what security directors need to know about the technology and what it signals for the future of campus safety.

Mar 9, 2026 · VOLT

Could Classroom Drones Prevent School Shootings?

A Texas company is piloting indoor drones to slow an active threat before police arrive. What security directors should know.

Georgia school shooter's father convicted of murder in landmark case. Learn how AI-powered weapon detection could prevent similar tragedies.

Mar 5, 2026 · VOLT

The Georgia Case and School Security Accountability

Georgia school shooter's father convicted of murder in landmark case. Learn how AI-powered weapon detection could prevent similar tragedies.

Education Secretary McMahon's department shutdown goal could eliminate federal security grants. Learn how districts can secure alternative funding sources.

Mar 4, 2026 · VOLT

Education Department Shutdown and Security Funding

Education Secretary McMahon's department shutdown goal could eliminate federal security grants. Learn how districts can secure alternative funding sources.

NASP 2026 conference highlights school psychology evaluation funding challenges that directly impact comprehensive security planning and threat assessment programs.

Mar 4, 2026 · VOLT

NASP 2026: School Psychology Funding and Security

How school psychology evaluation funding gaps raised at NASP 2026 affect threat assessment and security planning.

Supreme Court's LGBTQ+ school policy decision creates new security funding needs for privacy-focused technology. Schools must adapt systems and budgets.

Mar 4, 2026 · VOLT

Supreme Court Ruling Shifts School Privacy Priorities

Supreme Court's LGBTQ+ school policy decision creates new security funding needs for privacy-focused technology. Schools must adapt systems and budgets.

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