Getting a message out quickly is important for a school. For daily activities and safety situations.
With the school’s old Public Address unit, however, only some classrooms could hear a crackly-sounding voice ringing from discolored speakers.
Thankfully this all changed in the spring when Torrence, a company based out of Perrysburg, finished installing a new, up-to-date sound system.
In days of the old PA, someone from the front office would have to set an alarm for class changes, wait for the alarm, grab a microphone, press a red button, and say something like, “Math Concepts classes will begin in five minutes.”
This process would have to be repeated many times a day every day. Some announcements would be delayed or skipped by the office due to phone calls or other pressing issues.
Now, class changes are announced automatically with pre-recorded announcements.
This lets the front office team focus on responding to more immediate needs.
The PA’s powerful features will also increase the safety of students and staff during an emergency situation.
With the old system not everyone in the building would hear the call for a safety drill. The front office team would need to individually contact certain teachers.
And, once again, a staff member would have to go through a multi-step process to make the announcement.
How many steps does this take with the new PA?
One.
A single press of a button initiates a pre-recorded message to lock-down that rings out across all areas of the school, including the playground.
Teachers are able to check-in by pressing a button on a console located in their classrooms, which instantly sends a signal to the main office.
This project has furthered our goal of creating a safe place where everyone can learn, grow, and reach their full potential.
The new PA system was funded through the OH K12 School Security Grant administered by the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission.