In this featured piece by EdTech Focus on K-12 Magazine, the outlet examines how digital signage is increasingly relied on to deliver emergency communications in K-12 schools, alongside its traditional role broadcasting daily announcements and event schedules. The article details how Necedah Schools in Wisconsin uses the Singlewire Software InformaCast system running over the Rise Vision digital signage platform to override screens throughout the district’s buildings the moment an emergency alert is issued. Kris Saylor, technology director at Necedah Schools, said the visual element of digital signage catches people’s attention and helps reach every student, including those who are deaf, through flashing, multicolored alerts. The piece also outlines how schools evaluating emergency communication systems should consider whether the platform supports the Common Alerting Protocol and, in states with Alyssa’s Law requirements, whether it supports silent panic alarms.
Key Takeaways
- Necedah Schools in Wisconsin, which serves about 700 students, uses the Singlewire Software InformaCast system running over the Rise Vision digital signage platform across 22 displays in district buildings.
- Kris Saylor, technology director at Necedah Schools, said the district can now lock down a building within the industry-recommended 20-to-30-second window from notification to escalation.
- CAP-enabled systems like InformaCast are designed to override any content already on a digital signage screen the moment an emergency message is broadcast.
- Necedah Schools’ admin team can send emergency communications and lock down the building with a few taps through an app on their phones.
- Some digital signage systems let administrators target emergency broadcasts to specific building zones, so a localized incident doesn’t trigger unnecessary alerts across an entire district.
Original Story
“The biggest thing we noticed in emergency situations is that the visual element catches people’s attention,” says Kris Saylor, technology director at Necedah Schools in Wisconsin. “We are able to reach everyone, including deaf students, because the alerts are flashing and multicolored.”
Digital signage displays are the endpoints of a school’s communication system. They are operated through onboard display-on-a-chip software or an external media player that serves as the content management platform. To enable emergency notifications, the digital signage software needs to support Common Alerting Protocol, the standard for communicating emergency alerts and public warnings.
CAP-enabled systems, like the Singlewire Software InformaCast system Necedah Schools uses, are designed to override any communication on the digital signage at the time of an emergency message broadcast. “When administrators push through the emergency communications, it takes over the screen and gets the message in front of everybody quickly,” says Saylor.