Background
The mission of the Salem County Special Services School District (SCSSSD), a regional educational service agency, is to provide high-quality, cost-effective programs and services to the schools and the districts of Salem and Cumberland Counties. The three district campuses, Daretown, Salem and Cumberland, are learning communities where adults with special gifts serve students with special needs. The cooperative program fosters shared services and expertise in an effort to both increase quality of service and decrease cost to local districts.
Challenges
The Cumberland and Daretown campuses had very minimal security with only two-way radios, lockdown, and limited video coverage. Neither school had public address, pre-programmed messaging, or mass notification capabilities, which resulted in lengthy and cumbersome emergency processes. Outside coverage was lacking and reported incidents near the campuses added to the overall security concern for students and staff. Funding for improved security was very limited and the district needed assistance finding grant monies to fund the project.
Solution
Telecor and their integration partner, CM3 Building Solutions, reviewed the district project and funding needs and assisted the district with a full scope, design, and budget narrative for the COPS School Violence Prevention Program Grant. With assistance from the grant management team, the district submitted an application and received an award from the Department of Justice in 2024, including funding for public address, intercom, mass notification, access control and video management.
Our approach was to design a comprehensive security solution that integrates access control, video surveillance, lockdown functionality, and communications. By connecting these critical systems, the district gained a more coordinated and proactive security strategy that enhances visibility, response, and overall campus safety.
The overall plan is based on a tiered approach starting with an upgrade of the district’s key security systems. CM3 Building Solutions designed each system to be fully integrated, delivering proactive results for lockdown, integrated access control, mass notification and video. Daily paging and intercom functions are accessed through the building telephone system via a SIP Interface, enabling intercom and paging functions from any telephone in the building with approved access. The telephone system integration along with the Telecor Administrative Console in the main office, provides the ability to rapidly execute safety protocols during an emergency.
Results
The completed project enhances the safety and protection of the Salem County Special Services School District’s students and staff with a supervised and secure communication network. The Telecor eSeries Public Address and Intercom solution provides supervised speakers, increased amplification, and automated, pre-recorded audio announcements, resulting in reliable and effective building communication. Upgraded access control, lockdown, and video management systems are fully integrated with the overall solution, providing multiple layers of safety and security.
We knew our security infrastructure needed to be upgraded, but funding was a significant challenge. CM3 helped us develop a clear plan, secure grant funding through their partnership with Telecor, and implement an integrated solution that greatly enhances safety across our campuses.
About CM3 Building Solutions
CM3 consistently provides every customer with the optimum solution to maximize the comfort, safety, and efficiency of their facility. Founded in 2002, the company helps organizations plan, modernize, integrate, and optimize their facilities. Serving the New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware communities, CM3 provides smart building technologies: Building Automation, HVAC, Energy, Fire, Life Safety, and Security.
About Telecor
Telecor protects building occupants across the United States and worldwide with revolutionary day-to-day and emergency communication systems. With over 45 years of trusted expertise and a global partner network, we are proud to be the name architects, engineers, and decision-makers depend on for safe, reliable, and scalable solutions.
With thousands of systems installed, Telecor offers complete process manufacturing – from the concept and design stages, through to a worldwide network of certified-trained distributors in the Education, Healthcare, Security and Commercial markets.
