Putnam County Schools utilizing a $33,000 state grant to modernize security at Jere Whitson Elementary School with a new server and five high-resolution cameras.
Technology Supervisor Johnny Sloan said the district safety committee identified the school as a priority for the upgrade because the existing equipment had reached the end of its functional life. Sloan said the project focuses on replacing a server from 2015 that has struggled to remain operational following recent power outages and seasonal storms.
“New, faster, has more storage capacity, and it will connect to the existing cameras which they already had, and we’re just going to add on some additional cameras and replace the cameras that don’t have quite high enough resolution and the quality is not very good,” Sloan said.
Sloan said the state grant covers the full cost, which will vastly improve the school’s surveillance coverage.
“The server, I mean, it’s kind of the engine, if you will,” Sloan said. “So if you’ve got problems with that, you could have, you know, 50 brand-new cameras, but if you’ve got a legacy server that has a lot of age on it and is starting to exhibit some issues, then you’re not going to have successful video quality and you’re going to have a lot of drops.”
Sloan said the new camera configuration includes multifocal units that feature two lenses in a single housing to provide a wider angle of view. Sloan said these dual-head cameras allow the school to monitor opposing directions or cross hallways more efficiently than standard single-lens cameras.
“On the inside, I think the visibility, to upgrade, you know, if anything happened—visibility, a more clear picture and a better view, and like I said, the multifocal cameras, those will provide really two camera views instead of the one,” Sloan said. “So no doubt I think it will be a significant increase.”
Sloan said the district aims to maintain a minimum video retention period of 14 days, though some buildings can store up to 30 days of footage depending on server capacity. Sloan said the technology department handles the maintenance and setup of the system while school administrators and School Resource Officers manage daily monitoring.
“We try to buy good equipment, keep it upgraded, and you know, try to get a system that’s going to last for a significant number of years and get the most bang for the buck,” Sloan said.
Sloan said the district originally hoped to upgrade multiple schools last year, but rising costs for memory and storage drives limited the budget to one site. Sloan said the district intends to target Cornerstone Elementary, Baxter Primary, Sycamore Elementary, and Northeast Elementary for similar upgrades if additional state funding is secured.
Sloan said security and peace of mind remain a priority for the school.
“We’re getting ready to start a new school year next week and it’s always at the forefront of, you know, from the school and the district level, to the local authorities,” Sloan said.
Sloan said the district will review its needs and apply for the next round of state safety grants to continue standardizing security platforms across all campuses.
