Subject: [NEXTEL-1] New Nextel intercom sysem boosts security at Spellman H.S.

From: Marcelrf <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 01 Mar 2004 23:16:38 -0500

Bronx, N.Y.

February 26, 2004

New Nextel intercom sysem boosts security at Spellman H.S.
by Noah Fowle

There is something new going on in Cardinal Spellman High School that no
other school in the country can claim. Working with a local wireless
phone provider and Nextel, the school has developed a unique security
communications system that not only ensures students’ and teachers’
safety, but is affordable too.

After realizing the need for a new intercom system, Spellman’s
principal, Harold Hoffman, and the school’s president, Monsignor James
Sullivan, were told that installation and equipment alone would cost
nearly $37,000. "Our current intercom system only worked one way, so our
teachers and students were unable to contact the office," Hoffman
explained.
But Artie Mondrone, of FabComm, who has done a lot of business with the
school in the past, wanted to help Spellman administrators come up with
a viable and affordable solution. "We brainstormed some ideas, with the
aim of creating a safer environment and improve communications
throughout the school," Mondrone said.

The solution was to equip each classroom in the Baychester Avenue
parochial high school with a wall-mounted Nextel phone, each with a
direct link to both the school’s main office, and if necessary, a 911
emergency dispatcher. The security system features 72 phones in
classrooms and other heavily-populated areas in the school, and
represents the first time a school has experimented with this type of
wireless technology.

The faculty was introduced to the new phone system before school began
in September, during Faculty Orientation Day. FabComm trained the
teachers and provided an instructional sheet, which has also been
abbreviated into small, laminated instruction cards and then mounted
next to each phone for easier use by teachers and students.

The administration had thought about equipping teachers at Spellman with
cell phones, but Monsignor Sullivan explained some of the potential
problems with that plan. "A number of schools have cell phones, but they
give them to the teachers to carry around with them. Our thinking was,
‘What happens if a teacher is absent that day, forgets the phone, or if
an incident happens outside of regular school hours?’" he said. "The key
reason for this system is the safety of our students. As best as we can,
we’re trying to provide a safe and secure environment for our students."
Now, even if an emergency arises involving a teacher, students can use
the wall-mounted phone to make the call for help.

Hoffman said he is pleased with the solution and is confident in the
level of safety it provides to everyone in the school. "Kids know all
about cell phones," he said. "They probably know more than we do."
Hoffman also pointed out an important quality of the school’s novel
security system. "The phones are fixed to the wall and constantly
charging," he said. "But in case of a power failure, the phones would
still operate."

Monsignor Sullivan said he was equally pleased with the new system.
"We’re very grateful," he said. "They provide emergency access and saved
the school a lot of money." The start-up costs for the new program were
minimal. Beside the cost of the phones, the school pays a monthly
operating fee. But Nextel paid for the mounting brackets.

Diane Rainey, a spokesperson for Nextel, said the new technology could
be a sign of future security systems for schools, businesses and more.
"It’s an innovative communication system for a school," she said. "It
provides an affordable system and is possibly an idea for other
institutions in the future."

http://www.bxtimes.com/news/2004/0226/Boroughwide_News/049.html

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