Improving Both Emergency and Everyday School Communications

Effective communication during school emergencies and day-to-day activities is crucial to ensuring the safety and well-being of students and staff. Relay Pro can help with both.
Published: June 24, 2024

Following school incidents, after-action reports often highlight errors in communication. Whether technology- or human-based, internal or external, communication errors can significantly hinder emergency response.

Even when there isn’t an emergency, a communication breakdown can unnecessarily complicate everyday activities on an educational campus, impacting productivity and student learning.

To improve communication during both day-to-day happenings and significant emergencies, Relay offers solutions that keep school staff informed and connected without the bulk of traditional radios or the need to have a smartphone in hand at all times. Its various solutions enable private and group communications, utilize GPS and Bluetooth for indoor/outdoor location tracking capabilities, issue instant emergency alerts, and allow users to talk nationwide using multiple 4G LTE networks and WiFi, among other features.

Relay also recently introduced a new enhancement that can live translate 31 languages, breaking down communication barriers to improve student and staff safety and well-being.

To learn more about these offerings, Campus Safety conducted a Q&A with Relay. Campus testimonials can also be read on their website.

If you want to learn even more, Relay will be at the upcoming Campus Safety Conference, happening July 8-10 in Atlanta. Be sure to visit them at Booth #21 for hands-on demos and industry discussions.

——Article Continues Below——

Get the latest industry news and research delivered directly to your inbox.

Campus Safety Q&A with Relay

Campus Safety: In Relay’s discussions with school safety leaders, what are some of the biggest challenges they are currently faced with? 

Relay: A lot of the school safety leaders we talk to are struggling with effective communication as a whole. The technology they currently use is outdated, too bulky to carry around, and not designed for school safety and discretion. Having gaps in communication is not just frustrating, but a huge safety issue. Today’s leaders really want to ensure that they have the right tools and protocols in place to protect both staff and students.

CS: How does Relay and its available solutions help address those challenges?

Relay: Relay is an all-in-one communication and safety solution that’s easy to use, carry, and communicate with. Many educators find that Relay “just makes sense” in a school environment. It’s extremely lightweight and durable with built-in safety features such as a panic button. Relay also gets rid of common radio issues like local chatter, limited range, and not enough channels for every team or department. Teachers and safety leaders also like Relay’s 1:1 calling feature so they can speak with someone directly without needing to track them down in person.

CS: What makes the product unique?

Relay: Relay is so much more than a traditional radio. Beyond communication, safety, and translation abilities, Relay has operational features such as location tracking and data insights in our dashboard. Our devices also connect to both cellular and Wi-Fi, meaning they have built-in redundancies and nationwide coverage. We’re cloud-based so customers can expect updates and new features periodically as we do everything we can to increase safety and productivity across industries.

CS: Can you provide an example where your product helped a school or university during an emergency?

Relay: Recently, one of our customers, a 6-12th grade public charter school in California, heard gunshots very close to school property. They used Relay’s panic feature to pull staff onto the same channel to communicate about the situation quickly and efficiently. When the emergency was over, they were able to look at Relay’s data to analyze where everyone was and what was said. This allowed them to better prepare for next time and update their current drills. You can read their story on our website.

CS: Your newest product, TeamTranslate, provides live device-to-device translation in 30+ languages, allowing staff to quickly communicate with no go-between. What prompted Relay to create this solution and why is it important for campuses to consider?

Relay: When language barriers stand in the way of effective communication, there’s an increase in mistakes, safety issues, and wasted time. We originally added translation capabilities to better connect multilingual staff but we’ve found that schools really love using the translation features to communicate with new students and parents that speak another language. When students attend their first day of school or a parent shows up to a parent-teacher conference and they’re used to communicating in another language, teachers will use Relay to translate the conversation and make everyone feel more comfortable.

CS: What are you most looking forward to at the Campus Safety Conference?

Relay: We’re looking forward to showcasing our newest features that are going to really improve how schools’ frontline staff operate during the day and respond to emergencies. Attendees will be able to stop by our booth (#21) and get their hands on the devices to try them out for themselves, while also getting their questions answered by our experts. We can’t wait to see everyone in July!

Strategy & Planning Series
Strategy & Planning Series
Strategy & Planning Series
Strategy & Planning Series
Strategy & Planning Series