Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) will undertake an initiative to improve responses to health, safety and security emergencies in schools through more effective, efficient, and timely collection and handling of critical student information. FCPS will develop a web-based application for collecting emergency information from parents and a wireless application for sharing information with first responders, weCare@school. Although wireless handheld technology is rapidly spreading, there are few applications beyond productivity programs (email, calendars, etc.) that exploit this technology. The project provides an innovative approach to delivering emergency-care information via wireless handheld devices and cell phones.
There are more than 93,000 public schools and 27,223 private schools in the United States, where safety and security are high-profile issues. Violence and gangs are growing concerns nationwide. The National Center for Education Statistics School Survey on Crime and Safety reported 1,466,000 incidents of violence nationwide in the 1999-2000 school year. FCPS alone had 8,524 suspensions in 2002-03, most due to fighting, disobedience, and attendance problems. These incidents, plus the increased risk from natural disasters and potential terrorist activities, such as the type experienced in the Washington, D.C. area on 9/11 and during the sniper crisis, add urgency to the need to provide first responders with emergency information on students.
Major student information system providers currently do not provide a wireless service. Due to the standards-based approach with web services, these providers could easily replicate the model proposed. As schools learn of the enhanced capability for emergency information services, requirements for these services will accelerate. As a result, the demand for wireless access in schools and enhanced services from telecommunications companies will increase.
FCPS is partnering with webMethods, the Northern Virginia Technology Council Foundation, and Cisco Systems, Inc. to bring the weCare@school service to schools and their communities.
