{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"The News Journal","provider_url":"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net","title":"Williamsburg schools implementing state-of-the-art security system &ndash; The News Journal","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"bwKEph5JsO\"><a href=\"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/williamsburg-schools-implementing-state-of-the-art-security-system\/\">Williamsburg schools implementing state-of-the-art security system<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/williamsburg-schools-implementing-state-of-the-art-security-system\/embed\/#?secret=bwKEph5JsO\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;Williamsburg schools implementing state-of-the-art security system&#8221; &#8212; The News Journal\" data-secret=\"bwKEph5JsO\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/* ]]> *\/\n<\/script>\n","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/2-col-Burg-safety-1.jpg","thumbnail_width":416,"thumbnail_height":416,"description":"Whenever in-person classes finally resume in the Williamsburg Independent School District, school officials are planning to implement a new technology that will help them keep track of how and when students make their way on and off campus. \u201cThe program is known as Student Management and Transportation, or SMT,\u201d WIS Principal Marc Taylor recently explained. \u201cWhat it\u2019s going to do for us is give us accurate information on students\u2019 movements, and it will help especially with things like parent pick-up and where student drivers are in our parking lots.\u201d \u201cWe can now have a good grasp on knowing who picked a student up, what time they got picked up, and if that person was actually authorized to pick that student up,\u201d Taylor added. Taylor continued explaining the benefits of this new system, saying, \u201cThe big positive for the parents is, if they come in and register in the system, we can protect their child from getting into the wrong car. If the parents don\u2019t want their kids going with someone, we can make sure that doesn\u2019t occur.\u201d At the end of last week, Taylor said that nearly 400 families had already registered in the new SMT safety system. To do so, a parent or guardian simply presents their driver\u2019s license in the school\u2019s front office. It is scanned, a special QR code is generated, and the guardians\u2019 name is recorded in the system along with their child\u2019s. The whole process takes about a minute, or maybe just a little longer if someone has to bring in a form of identification other than a driver\u2019s license. \u201cIf you\u2019re going to pick your child up, this is something that you will have to have,\u201d Taylor said of the new system. \u201cFamilies will have their own QR codes that will be unique to a particular student. We will be able to scan that in once you\u2019re in the pick-up line, and it will tell us exactly who is getting picked up by whom.\u201d Outside of parents dropping off and picking up their children, Taylor said the school district plans to expand on this technology in the future. \u201cInitially we are going to utilize this as a way to monitor parent pick-up and drop off situations,\u201d Taylor explained. \u201cBut we are going to expand on it to be able to know where student drivers are on campus, to be able to know who is getting into vehicles, and to know who those people are authorized to take.\u201d Taylor outlined another scenario where the technology could come into play, saying, \u201cIn the future we will be able to scan a QR code for students when they get on and off of a bus, so we will know for sure who was there, and at what time.\u201d \u201cThe possibilities are limitless with this technology when it comes to protecting our students.\u201d This technology has been around for a couple of years now, and other school districts have already been using it to help track the whereabouts of their students. Taylor pointed to Clinton, Wayne and Hardin counties as three examples of other districts who have had success with SMT. \u201cThis goes to the heart of our vision at Williamsburg concerning school safety,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cThis is a part of our \u2018safe school initiative,\u2019 and it has been something that folks in the state of Kentucky have applauded in recent years as a system to effectively help protect students.\u201d When asked about any privacy issues that may arise from utilizing this system in the school, Taylor explained, \u201cEverything is done through a totally secured school server. The developer of this program actually worked for a time in the Pentagon, so in terms of security, this is something that the Kentucky Department of Education has actually looked into, and they are confident that it is very secure. All of the information will be housed here, and would in no way be able to be breached.\u201d And as for the cost of the program, Taylor said, \u201cThe cost of just one student not getting into the wrong car\u2026 I\u2019m not sure you can put a dollar value on that. Being able to have that record of where everybody has gone during the course of the day is definitely worth it.\u201d If you are the parent or guardian of a student at Williamsburg Independent School, please call or come by at your earliest convenience to find out how you can get set up in the school\u2019s brand new safety system. Extra Content:\u00a0Tim Armstrong, retired school principal and co-owner of SMT Access, wished to share the following information along with this story&#8230; Max Schachter is the father of Alex, who was murdered in the Parkland shooting. Max\u2019s life mission is now to make schools safer. His website is www.safeschoolsforalex.org, and a scholarship foundation fund site can be found at www.alexschachter.org. Those interested in learning more about the ongoing efforts to make our nation&#8217;s schools safer are encouraged to visit these websites, as well as www.ud.net\/smt to learn more about Student Management and Transportation."}