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CASE STUDY

How Fulton County Schools uses samdesk to understand emerging risks and make faster safety decisions

Snapshot

Fulton County Schools serves urban, suburban, and semi-rural communities across the Atlanta metropolitan area. Its safety and security team monitors risks that could affect more than 100 campuses, as well as the neighborhoods and transportation routes students travel through each day.

Fulton County Schools serves urban, suburban, and semi-rural communities across the Atlanta metropolitan area. Its safety and security team monitors risks that could affect more than 100 campuses, as well as the neighborhoods and transportation routes students travel through each day.

LOCATION

Georgia, USA

INDUSTRY

Education

FOOTPRINT

100+ schools
10,500+ full-time employees
85,000+ students
1,000+ school buses

SECURITY TEAM

District safety and security team

USE CASE

Workforce safety
Student safety
Transportation disruption

The Challenge: Knowing what matters and when to act

Information reaches Fulton County Schools from many sources, including law enforcement, social media, news outlets, parents, school leaders, and community partners. The challenge is working out what is credible, which schools, students, or operations could be affected, and whether the situation calls for monitoring, communication, or immediate action.

Information reaches Fulton County Schools from many sources, including law enforcement, social media, news outlets, parents, school leaders, and community partners. The challenge is working out what is credible, which schools, students, or operations could be affected, and whether the situation calls for monitoring, communication, or immediate action.

Fragmented situational awareness

Information arrived through multiple channels and had to be pieced together to determine whether reports referred to the same event, whether the information was current, and whether it was credible.

Information arrived through multiple channels and had to be pieced together to determine whether reports referred to the same event, whether the information was current, and whether it was credible.

Risk extends beyond the campus perimeter

Students may travel five or ten miles to school. Incidents in surrounding neighborhoods, on major highways, or in neighboring jurisdictions can affect school transportation and safety even when they occur nowhere near a campus.

Students may travel five or ten miles to school. Incidents in surrounding neighborhoods, on major highways, or in neighboring jurisdictions can affect school transportation and safety even when they occur nowhere near a campus.

A narrow window for the right response

Acting too quickly can disrupt instruction and create unnecessary concern. Waiting too long can put students and staff at risk. The team needs enough context to make a proportionate decision as events unfold.

Acting too quickly can disrupt instruction and create unnecessary concern. Waiting too long can put students and staff at risk. The team needs enough context to make a proportionate decision as events unfold.

The Approach: Building broader situational awareness around every school

Samdesk gives Fulton County Schools a centralized view of developing incidents and helps the team understand how they relate to campuses, attendance zones, transportation, and surrounding communities.

Samdesk gives Fulton County Schools a centralized view of developing incidents and helps the team understand how they relate to campuses, attendance zones, transportation, and surrounding communities.

Anticipate emerging risks

The team uses samdesk to monitor incidents across Georgia and the United States to spot recurring patterns, including swatting activity. The team also works with partners such as the Georgia Fusion Center to add context to emerging threats.

The team uses samdesk to monitor incidents across Georgia and the United States to spot recurring patterns, including swatting activity. The team also works with partners such as the Georgia Fusion Center to add context to emerging threats.

Detect emerging risks

Samdesk alerts the team to incidents near geofenced schools and attendance zones, giving the district visibility into risks that could affect campuses, surrounding neighborhoods, and student transportation routes.

Samdesk alerts the team to incidents near geofenced schools and attendance zones, giving the district visibility into risks that could affect campuses, surrounding neighborhoods, and student transportation routes.

Analyze operational impact

Samdesk brings related reports into a single incident view, with an evolving timeline and location data. The team can assess proximity, movement, escalation, and which schools or operations could be affected.

Samdesk brings related reports into a single incident view, with an evolving timeline and location data. The team can assess proximity, movement, escalation, and which schools or operations could be affected.

Respond with appropriate action

With a clearer picture of what is happening, the district can decide whether to monitor, communicate, reroute buses, adjust operations, or place schools into precautionary lockdown.

With a clearer picture of what is happening, the district can decide whether to monitor, communicate, reroute buses, adjust operations, or place schools into precautionary lockdown.

“In school safety, clarity saves time and time saves life.”

Paul Hildreth
Director of Safety and Security, Fulton County Schools

The Outcomes: Clearer decisions, better coordination, and earlier communication

Samdesk gives the district a clearer understanding of developing incidents and how they could affect students, staff, transportation, and school operations.

Take proportionate action as threats move

When an active shooter fled a medical facility in downtown Atlanta, the incident began outside the district. As information developed, the suspect moved toward Cobb County, which borders Fulton County Schools, and was tracked near schools in the area. The district used the evolving location information to identify potentially exposed campuses and place nearby schools into a precautionary soft lockdown.

See patterns behind recurring threats

Swatting can trigger a major law enforcement response before district officials know what prompted it. By monitoring similar incidents across Georgia and the country, Fulton County Schools can identify recurring patterns, periods of heightened activity, and common indicators. The district also works with the Georgia Fusion Center to add information such as originating phone numbers to its assessment.

Understand operational impact beyond school property

During severe flooding in downtown Atlanta, no Fulton County school was directly affected. However, some of the district’s more than 1,000 school buses used transportation corridors through the impacted area. Early awareness allowed the district to reroute buses, anticipate delays, and communicate with parents before the afternoon journey home.

Brief leadership with greater confidence

Samdesk gives the safety team a centralized view of developing incidents, including timelines, proximity, and whether events are ongoing or resolved. This helps the team provide district leadership with clearer recommendations as situations develop.

Improve coordination and communication

The district reports stronger coordination between safety and security, school police, district leadership, principals, staff, and parents. Earlier understanding helps the team communicate more consistently and reduce surprises as incidents unfold.

“We made the right decision because we had the right information to tell us what was happening and how it was proceeding through that event.”

Paul Hildreth

Director of Safety and Security

See how samdesk helps teams anticipate emerging risks, detect credible incidents, analyze their potential impact, and coordinate an effective response.

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