GEER ASSISTANCE TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS (GAPS) GRANT PROGRAM
The GAPS grant program is part of the GEER II Fund, authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP). It was authorized by the Office of the Governor (OOG) to provide funding to non-public schools to address COVID-19 related activities associated with safely reopening schools, promoting school safety, continuing instruction, addressing learning loss, and supporting educational technology.
This program allows for eligible private non-profit schools to request services to address needs identified and caused by the pandemic, including school safety related activities.
The Texas Education Agency will verify providers as well as control and administer the funds.
SCHOOL SAFETY RELATED GRANT PROGRAMS FOR ALL SCHOOLS
On June 28, 2022, Governor Greg Abbott, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, Speaker Dade Phelan, Senate Finance Committee Chair Joan Huffman, and House Appropriations Chair Dr. Greg Bonnen announced $17.1 million in funding to TEA to distribute to school districts to purchase silent panic alert technology (SPAT).
On October 27, 2022, they announced an additional $400 million in funding to TEA to "assist school districts in replacing or upgrading doors, windows, fencing, communications, and other safety measures."
(GEER) Assistance to
Private Schools (GAPS)
Grant Program
Statewide Training Video
Great video that is the first step for taking a look what school safety grants are currently available for your private school.
There are over 5,000 911 Calls a Day coming from schools nationwide.
Every second counts.
EMERGENCY EVENT MANAGEMENT ON
CBS News' Meg Oliver visits a school in New Jersey that has deployed 911Inform, a security monitoring program designed to speed up response times.
"Every school should have this."
Nate Burleson, CBS Mornings
Is your school ready for an Active Shooter?
Every second counts.
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT & MASS NOTIFICATION
911inform is the only notification & emergency management solution that is co-located within the 911 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP) to provide accurate location information of all 911 mobile calls.
911Inform provides an interactive map with bi-directional access to the existing security systems including doors, security cameras, and lights along with facial, weapon, & license plate recognition, gunfire detection, panic buttons, mass notification, and Next Gen 911 Compliancy.
Only 911 INFORM delivers accurate location information for 911 calls - including calls from cell phones - to your key personnel, the 911 Public Service Answering Position (PSAP) and first responders.
The FCC says improving location accuracy could save approximately 10,000 lives a year.
INTEGRATES EXISTING SECURITY SYSTEMS
VIDEO CONTROLS: Integrates with your existing IP-based camera systems already in use. Public safety personnel in the 911 center and on-site can access LIVE video feeds from 911Inform buildings during the emergency event.
After the event is closed out by 911, video access is removed for all parties.
VOICE CONTROLS: Integration to the existing intercom and the PBX or cloud-based phone solution enabling bi-directional communications into an emergency event for public safety personnel at the 911 PSAP, on-site, and for your designated on-site staff.
DOOR ACCESS CONTROLS: Integration with your existing door locks allowing for remote door locking and unlocking capabilities for public safety personnel.
INTEGRATION TO SAFETY APPS: Add new features and capabilities to your existing security solutions using the 911Inform platform.
API's allow you to custom design a solution that adds facial, weapon, & license plate recognition as well as gunfire detection, panic buttons, & mass notification.
STROBE CONTROLS: Emergency strobe light integration with the 911Inform platform with the ability to set different light patterns based on the emergency at hand.
See how it works from the Police Car!
911Inform is the only platform to receive all seven certifications across state, federal and globally-recognized programs.
SOC 2 Type 2 - An independent audit via American Institute of Certified Public Accountant's proved 911inform's integration of security controls over a period of 12 months protects client confidentiality, data integrity, and availability.
ISO 27001 - The international IT standard solidifies 911inform's security practices, policies and implementation across the enterprise as well as its established procedures to manage data and information entrusted by its customers.
National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework (NIST CSF) - 911inform has adopted the US Department of Commerce's framework to reduce IT infrastructure security risk across its enterprise.
Center for Internet Security (CIS) Critical Security Controls - 911inform has implemented CIS Critical Security Controls, ensured the highest standards of cybersecurity and protecting the company, its customers, and its platform from cyber attacks.
Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) Ready - Federal Security standard that gives 911inform the ability to do business with federal government entities, such as military bases, research institutes, and other government agencies.
AZRAMP & TXRAMP - 911inform has exceeded the state security standards that are required to do business with government entities in Arizona and Texas.
School District Goes High-tech with
Step into the hallways of Union City, NJ schools, where the future of safety unfolds.
When an emergency strikes and 911 is dialed within a school, watch as 911inform springs into action in just over one second.
Imagine police officers instantly gaining access to the system on their patrol cars and school administrators having it at their fingertips on their cell phones.
With a simple click, they can remotely activate school cameras and secure all doors, providing real-time information to law enforcement and ensuring a swift response.
Visible weapons scanning technology adds another layer of protection, ensuring potential threats are detected and addressed promptly.
Join 911inform today, where safety is reimagined, lives are protected, and the future of school security is brighter than ever.
Uvalde families have files a $27 billion lawsuit over the mass shooting.
The families' legal counsel is in the process of suing the Uvalde CISD, the City of Uvalde, the Uvalde County Sheriff's office as well as the Texas DPS & US Border Patrol.
The claim heavily cites a Texas House investigative committee’s July 17 report on the mass shooting that found extensive and systemic failures in the law enforcement response on both the local and the state level.
Those “faulty assumptions and poor decisions” resulted in the shooter remaining inside two classrooms with his victims for more than 70 minutes before officers engaged and killed him.
WEAPONS DETECTION
ZeroEyes connects to existing security cameras and monitors streaming video feeds looking for firearms.
The AI image classification system processes thousands of images per second and immediately notifies trained personnel in the ZeroEyes Operation Center if an image appears to contain a firearm.
ZeroEyes software analyzes over 36,000 images per second from security camera video feeds and alerts authorities within seconds if a firearm is detected.
DETECTION - ZeroEyes connects to existing security cameras and monitors streaming video feeds for firearms. The AI image classification system processes thousands of images per second and immediately notifies trained personnel in the ZeroEyes Operation Center if an image appears to contain a firearm.
VERIFICATION - All ZeroEyes firearm detections are reviewed immediately by a technician in the ZOC (ZeroEyes Operations Center). Technicians only review images in which suspected firearms are detected.
RESPONSE - Once a technician verifies a suspected firearm, ZeroEyes systems immediately (often within 3-5 seconds) notify facility administrators and law enforcement, who are told the number and location of suspected shooters.
GUNSHOT DETECTION
Shooter Detection Systems empowers communities, workplaces to deploy gunshot detection to increase safety. SDS was created to assist in reducing the growing threat from indoor shooting incidents.
Schools, malls, airports, government and private buildings have all experienced increased shooting incidents over the last few years. In many of these cases, the delay in the time it took to accurately report and locate the shooter has lead to unfortunate consequences.
The SDS Indoor Gunshot Detection System simultaneously detects gunfire and relays this information via a floor plan map, text and email with shot location. System/Sensor maintenance alerts can also be programmed to go to specific individuals via text and email.
Additional modules can be configured to automate security and notification systems such as building alarms, lights/strobes, video, access control, computer-aided police dispatch (CAD), etc.
Guardian sensors can be installed into existing building infrastructure through a flush wall/ceiling or surface mount for impenetrable structures.
Guardian’s core technology was developed in conjunction with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and by a major defense contractor who has deployed over 10,000 military-grade gunshot detection systems to Iraq, Afghanistan and around the globe.
These systems have saved many American and NATO Soldier’s lives. This same capability is now available to the commercial market through SDS and the system configuration is fully scalable to the area of desired coverage.
GUNFIRE DETECTION
When a gunshot is fired, the acoustic bang from the shot is picked up by the sensor’s microphones while the flash of the gunshot is captured by the system’s infrared detection.
The combined audio and infrared detection give the system two forms of verification, meaning the system won’t mistake other loud sounds for gunshots, eliminating false alarms.
TARGETED RESPONSE
Within one second of the sensor detecting a gunshot, the system alerts law enforcement and others (as determined by the client) of the gunshot.
For staff and employees, an alert can be sent to their mobile phone and/or their computer.
In both cases, the alert shows where and when the gunshot was detected.
For example: “Shot fired. First Floor Cafeteria. 12:36 PM.”
A digital version of the organization’s floor plan can immediately be called onto the screen of computers. These reports are customizable, allowing staff to show where the gunshot is in relation to the surrounding area.
The report can then be sent to law enforcement; this gives them the advantage of knowing the precise location of the attack.
Alyssa's Law
The Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida took the lives of 17 children and school staff members.
One of these victims, 14-year-old Alyssa Alhadeff (shown below), inspired a law, known as Alyssa’s Law that that was just passed into Texas Law (SB 838/HB 669) on May 5, 2023.
Alyssa’s Law is critical legislation that calls for the installation of silent panic alarms that are directly linked to law enforcement, so in case of any emergency they will get on the scene as quickly as possible, take down a threat and triage any victims.
Gov. Greg Abbott in Texas signed Alyssa's Law to address the issue of law enforcement response time when a life-threatening emergency occurs.
Alyssa’s Law mandates that all school districts and open-enrollment charter schools in Texas shall have silent panic alert technology installed in their classrooms by the 2025-2026 school year.
Emergency Response Applications Must Include:
1) Administrative Access to Critical Information
Silent Panic Alarm System
2) Real-Time Communication Between First Responders
3) 2-Way Communication with Users.
At the end of the day it's about saving lives and Alyssa's Law calls for the installation of warning lights and a panic alarm in schools to provide the fastest possible support during a code red.
In code red situations with an active shooter, every second counts.
Alyssa's Law in Texas
Gov. Abbott recently signed the school safety bill known as Alyssa's Law. So now all schools in Texas will now be required to have some type of classroom panic button installed by the 2025-2026 school year.
Governor Abbott signs Alyssa's Law
Gov. Abbott signed the school safety bill known as Alyssa's Law so now ALL schools in Texas will be required to have some type of classroom panic button installed by the school year 2025-2026.
Over 95% of Texas schools are already looking at what to do to comply with Alyssa's Law and there's more than $1 Billion has been set aside to PAY for it!
Brookside is your single point of contact for the latest in school safety products.
911Inform provides panic buttons on smartphone and tablets using an app.
911Inform is the only provider with their software embedded in the IOS of ALL smartphones sold in the U.S.
This feature allows direct notification to the local police on 911 calls placed from any cell phone on the property.
This feature satisfies the personal carry wireless activation device clause.
911Inform integrates with your existing premise or cloud-based phone solutions.
This allows each phone to have a designated panic button.
911Inform connects to physical panic buttons located on-site.
Traditionally panic buttons will trigger an alarm at a central station monitoring facility which then has to call the police, etc.
When the panic buttons are connected to 911Inform, the police are immediately notified of the 911 call in addition to connecting the 911 caller to the police.
ONE Badge - TWO Types of Alerts
Staff Alert: A single-button activation alerts local responders and administrators immediately of an “I need help incident,” displaying a map showing who needs help and where they’re located on campus.
Campus-wide Alert: Your staff can instantly initiate a campus-wide rapid response to emergencies.
This type of alert:
• Goes directly to first responders and local administrators notifying them of who needs help and where they are located.
• Activates full audio and visual communication campus-wide so everyone knows the campus is under threat and can get to safety as soon as possible.
• Notifies 911 dispatch with precise location details (optional configuration.
K-12 Public Address Intercom
Bell/Clock/Emergency Notification Solution
Valcom school communication solutions provide high-quality audio, efficient daily communications, emergency notification, & manageability.
Connect your existing devices and infrastructure to provide a modern unified daily and emergency school intercom system.
DYNAMIC ENDPOINTS FOR PAGING, ALERTING, & SECURE DOOR ENTRY
Deploying IP Endpoints in Education
Learn how Algo IP Endpoint can be enhance a schools voice paging, alerting, an, emergency notification communication for teachers and students.
InformaCast On-Premises Mass Notification
What is InformaCast? A cloud-based mass notification system
that reaches people via on-premises and mobile devices.
Integrate with existing systems. Increase the speed, reach, and success rate of emergency alerts to Cisco phones, overhead speakers, strobes, panic buttons, and more.
Reach people on every channel. Broadcast live, ad hoc or prerecorded audio to IP phones, IP speakers, desktop computers, digital signage, and more so no one misses a message.
Utilize a single interface. Manage all devices and messages via a single interface and trigger messages from desk phones or web console.
Leverage Resiliency. Ensure critical messages reach the right people with the right information, no matter what happens with InformaCast Resiliency.
Easily Manage Bells and Announcements. Managing regularly scheduled messages, such as school bells or visiting hours, can be painful for school and hospital administrators. Many of these systems are difficult to use and are costly to maintain.
InformaCast Advanced makes creating and modifying schedules a breeze while reducing costs.
Bell scheduling is included in InformaCast Advanced with no extra fees.
Reach the right people with the right information. Not every situation will require alerting everyone within your organization. Some events may require reaching a specific group of people who can best respond to the situation.
InformaCast offers the ability to define groups and zones, so the right people get the right message at the right time.Notify select security, specific building on campus, or a particular wing or floor of a building to notify the people who need to know without disrupting others.
The sooner an alert goes out, the faster your people can get out of harm’s way.
Utilize every available channel. No matter where someone is within your building or campus, they should receive information that impacts their wellbeing.
InformaCast makes it easy to bring together disparate devices and systems to broadcast emergency messages.
Use text and audio delivered to IP phones, IP speakers, desktop computers, and digital signage to grab people’s attention, so they take steps to get out of harm’s way.
InformaCast Emergency Mass Notification Software Demo
WEBCHAT & SELF-SERVICE CHATBOTS 
If you don’t have Web Chat on your website today, you may be missing out on critical, time-sensitive questions and valuable engagement opportunities.
Web Chat allows your school to answer questions LIVE from the students.
Parents, and/or employees instantly and automatically on your website.
Web-based chatbots work around-the-clock, so you can reduce call and email volume, track important interactions, and support people —
whether your office is bustling or even closed for the day.
Major Universities using Nice CXOne for Self-Service & AI
Top 5 Use Cases for Universities & Virtual Assistants
As Gen Z enters higher education, support expectations are constantly rising. Today’s students have grown up accustomed to the speed and convenience that technology brings, and they now expect their schools to provide this too.
To meet these lofty expectations, many schools are introducing university chatbots.
With cost-effective automation from chatbots, schools are improving access to services and providing students with faster and more satisfactory support.
1. Automate Student Self-Serve
For schools supporting Gen Z students, self-serve support should be at the forefront of their strategy. A survey found that 75% of Gen Z look to noncompany resources like Reddit or YouTube to solve their issues either all or most of the time, rather than contacting customer support.
Introducing a university chatbot is an ideal way to provide self-service to students in a way they’re comfortable accessing it – using a familiar chat interface.
A university chatbot can be integrated with existing resources to guide students towards the information they need.
This information can be provided to students as text, images, video, or links within the chat window. With students helping themselves, your agents will also be more available to tackle complex issues and provide the personalized support that today’s students expect.
2. Route students to the best agent for the job
Students hate being transferred between agents when they seek support. For universities using chatbots, this problem can thankfully be eliminated when a bot is used to ask students a few questions at the beginning of a chat.
By collecting some information upfront, students can be routed to the best agent for the job, ensuring a streamlined resolution to the query.
With 75% of Gen Z expecting to solve complex problems by speaking to one person, university chatbots can significantly improve the student experience.
Routing rules can be used to direct student chats based on factors such as agent skill level, geographic region, or chat topic.
In practice, this might include directing stressed students to their assigned counselor or routing potential students with questions about scholarships to the Financial Aid department.
Research shows that schools must work hard to earn the trust of Gen Z students, as only about 41% say they trust colleges and universities. Getting students to the resources that they need can be an important step in developing a trusting relationship between school and student.
3. Provide 24/7 support availability
Today’s students have a range of high support expectations, from how they receive help to when. 72% of Gen Z say that they expect to interact with someone immediately when they contact a company.
A well-trained university chatbot using the latest conversational AI can respond to most incoming chats without agent intervention, and this creates an opportunity for schools to offer cost-effective 24/7 support.
Chatbot to provide support outside of their regular business hours and with a chatbot in place, it was able to automate 83% of all incoming chats to their Future Student department.
Thankfully for universities using chatbots, building and programming a chatbot is made easy with the right tools and doesn’t require a technical background.
4. Spend more time on complex and sensitive queries
Experts have noted that Gen Z highly values personalization. In the classroom, this extends to student engagement that can help to boost enrollment and curb dropout. Although it may seem counterintuitive, universities using chatbots are an effective tool at providing the most personalized support available.
This is because, with a bot handling the most straightforward requests, agents can spend more time on complex and sensitive issues that require more attention.
As schools focus more on the mental well-being of students in higher education, a university chatbot can make agents and student counselors more available.
With around-the-clock resources available via chatbot and improved access to services during standard hours, chatbots help schools show students that they’re well supported in all aspects of their education.
5. Handle appointments and bookings
One of the top use cases for universities using chatbots is in automating the booking of appointments and resources. 60% of Gen Z say that they find chatting with customer service stressful. With this tendency toward introversion, where it’s possible to do so, schools should look for ways that students can get access to tools and services without going through an agent.
Task bots can easily be integrated with existing scheduling tools to handle bookings and appointments in higher education. Examples of where a university chatbot can be used to automate manual processes include:
Booking study rooms in a library.
Setting confidential appointments with a student counselor.
Scheduling admissions appointments outside of standard hours.
With a chatbot handling these tasks inside a standard chat window, the process is easier and more natural for students than completing forms. As with other chatbot capabilities, a task bot can handle bookings and appointments 24/7, helping to decrease anxiety and letting students make plans on their own time.
Wrap Up
These 5 university chatbot examples are just the beginning of what a chatbot can do for higher education.
8x8 & Local Government
Local Texas government is putting in place capabilities and processes that support new workflows, new
ways of working, new ways of engaging with constituents and new ways of delivering services.
8x8 offers an easy way around the normal Request for Proposal, or "RFP" process by working with one of the many approved purchasing co-ops.
8x8's X Series licenses brings voice, video, chat, contact center, APIs, integration to Microsoft Teams, and more along with advanced analytics that track call activity to provide feedback on how they are doing.