When Boyd-Buchanan School Prioritized Safety, They Also Solved School Day Chaos

In the wake of the tragic Covenant School shooting in Nashville in March 2023, Jeremy Womack, Director of Technology and Innovation at Boyd-Buchanan School, began searching for a robust solution to address critical safety gaps in their school communication system.

Jeremy Womack’s Tips for Evaluating School Communication Systems

Boyd-Buchanan School, located in Chattanooga, TN, spans over 60 acres with nine buildings. Founded in 1952, this college-preparatory school serves students from pre-kindergarten through grade 12. With its expansive campus, Boyd-Buchanan sought a reliable, campus-wide PA and intercom system to support efficient communication both during emergencies and for daily operations.

Boyd-Buchanan School faced significant communication challenges, with limitations that included:

• Inaudible Emergency Announcements: In an emergency, administrators had to make live, unscripted announcements over low-volume classroom desk phones, which were often inaudible during active class times.
• Incomplete Campus Coverage: One building was entirely outside the reach of the current communication system, creating a gap in emergency coverage. Outdoor areas, such as the lunch courtyard, also lacked speakers, limiting announcements to indoor spaces only.
• Inflexible Alert and Bell Scheduling: Without zoning controls, Boyd-Buchanan couldn’t tailor alerts to specific areas or groups. This forced administrators to turn off the bells for all middle school students when high school students took standardized tests, including the PSAT or SAT.
• Outdated Technology: The analog PA system couldn’t keep up with Boyd-Buchanan’s growing campus needs or support flexible scheduling and zoning.

To address these pressing issues, Boyd-Buchanan chose Carina, Wahsega’s IP-based PA, Intercom, and Bell Schedule system, which offered critical features including flexible zoning, automated safety alerts, and custom bell scheduling.

Pre-Recorded Safety Announcements: In an emergency, administrators or teachers can activate a pre-recorded message by dialing an extension.

Complete Campus Coverage: Weatherproof speakers now cover outdoor areas including the lunch courtyard; Carina speakers are installed in distant buildings.

• Zoning Capabilities: With 20 zones available in the Carina interface, announcements and bells can target specific classrooms, dining areas, or grades, ensuring messages reach only the intended areas across campus.
• Customizable Bell Scheduling: Wahsega’s system enabled Boyd-Buchanan to customize bell schedules, accommodating shared spaces used by both middle and high school classes. Administrators now easily adjust bell times for testing days or special events, preventing disturbances in classrooms not directly affected by scheduled changes.
• Cost-Effective Installation: Wahsega’s exclusive wiring reduction technology minimized the amount of cabling that had to be run and saved money on purchasing PoE switches. Training videos and responsive support from Wahsega’s team allowed Boyd-Buchanan’s staff to easily set up and manage the Carina system.

Implementation of the Carina system brought Boyd-Buchanan immediate improvements beyond safety protocols:

• Improved Campus Safety: The new system enables Boyd-Buchanan to broadcast quick alerts across campus, significantly enhancing the school’s safety measures. With call buttons and automated alerts available to teachers, emergency responses are faster and more reliable.
• Efficient Communication: Wahsega’s zoning capabilities mean that Boyd-Buchanan can now direct announcements specifically to dining halls or courtyards, ensuring that students and staff receive pertinent information without disrupting others.
• Cost Savings: By using Wahsega’s wiring reduction technology, Boyd-Buchanan avoided the high cost of extensive rewiring and additional PoE switches, keeping the upgrade within budget.
• Operational Flexibility: The system’s easy-to-use interface allows administrators to modify bell schedules and announcements quickly, handling last-minute changes for events like homecoming or testing without hassle or extra costs.

Boyd-Buchanan School’s implementation of the Carina system created a safer, more flexible, and more efficient communication framework, tailored to the specific needs of a multi-building, large-campus environment. Wahsega extends its gratitude to Jeremy Womack and Tim McClure for their commitment to this project.