Riverstone Networks K-12 Ridley School District Improving Communications, Safety and Security

Cheltenham Township School District — Enhancing
Student Safety
Cheltenham Township School District in Pennsylvania
was looking for a way to enhance the educational environ-
ment and security for the school district’s 4,700 students
and more than 600 staff members. Cheltenham needed
to establish district-wide communications capabilities,
which included installing security with text messaging,
paging and conferencing and incorporating E911.
The district realized during security drills that even
more phones were needed as well. The additional phones
would be used in classrooms to ensure directions were
received from the principals or the superintendent. New
phones also allowed teachers and staff to communicate
during emergencies. To meet that need, “Alcatel-Lucent
provided inter-building communications solutions, secu-
rity and text messaging that could function across the new
infrastructure,” explains Gary Bixby, director of facilities
and support services for the district.
Cheltenham added an Alcatel-Lucent IP network and,
using the flexibility of IP, the district has integrated other
campus systems, both in and out of the classroom, for
unified messaging and communications across the voice
and data network and multiple devices.
Today, computers and phones work together to pro-	day-to-day business and operations,” said Bixby. “We now
vide links among school facilities and local public safety	have more ‘open’ communication and the technology pro-
personnel, improving communications and security for	vides the district with tools [that] make us more productive,
students and teachers. “The district has a long-term plan	efficient and successful … The impact is very significant!”
to infuse technology into classrooms,” said Christopher W.	Bixby notes the new communications capabilities and its
McGinley, superintendent of the district. “In addition to	effects were not possible with previous systems.
advancing our educational goals, this new platform enables	After implementing Alcatel-Lucent’s solutions,
the district to ensure the safety of our students and forge	Cheltenham now enjoys discreet messaging, parent access
stronger communications between teachers and parents,”	to classroom information and fully-integrated communica-
McGinley added.	tions including voice, data, system controls, security and
Cheltenham looked at a variety of equipment providers,	video conferencing. “Alcatel-Lucent met our specifications
but the choice was clear. “Alcatel-Lucent was the only	without compromise,” according to Bixby. He added that
vendor who was willing to develop a solution unique to	Alcatel-Lucent’s solutions provide “immeasurable benefits”
[our] district needs,” says Bixby.	and “enhanced educational programs with no limitations”
Using Alcatel-Lucent’s K-12 education district alert	to the district.
application, Cheltenham is able to simultaneously send
every classroom in the district instant notifications regard-	Ridley School District — Improving Communications,
ing weather, news, events or specific security concerns.	Safety and Security
The Alcatel-Lucent security application broadcasts mes-	Ridley School District in southeastern Delaware
sages to alert administrators and teaching staff via phone or	County, Pa. serves Ridley Township and the boroughs of
computer. In the event of emergency or disaster, additional	Ridley Park and Eddystone. The district contains more
information and instructions are delivered via voicemail	than 5,900 students in one high school, one middle school
box or computer popup screen. Alcatel-Lucent’s education	and seven elementary schools.
applications developed specifically for K-12 strive to enable	Ridley School District has invested in a variety of security
school districts to share knowledge and information, deliver-	measures, both hardware and procedures, to help main-
ing enhanced educational resources and security.	tain a safe school environment for students. Next to daily
“All aspects of the new solution from Alcatel-Lucent	instruction, much of the district’s daily energy is focused on
have demonstrated greater results than projected for our	keeping its children safe.