Smart Sensors Help Schools Stay Ahead of Emerging Safety Threats
As safety concerns shift inward, schools are rethinking traditional security strategies to address vaping, air quality, and other emerging threats to student well-being.
- By Michael Davis
- January 27, 2026
Campuses throughout the United States have long used a preventive approach to security, focusing on mitigating unruly activity that could compromise safety. However, amid growing safety concerns inside schools, many administrators have begun to rethink their strategies to address internal student security issues.
Today, school safety is much more than violence prevention. Schools and campuses are facing more threats to student well-being than ever before, including rapidly rising instances of vaping and deteriorating air quality.
Many of the most prominent safety concerns are now coming from within campus boundaries, prompting school administrators to re-evaluate their traditionally external preventive security strategies. Identifying and addressing internal threats is the first step to staying ahead.
Emerging School Safety Threats
Safety threats in schools have become a growing concern across the nation, with hundreds of incidents reported on campuses each year. In response, school boards and administrators have increased investment in technology and training aimed at improving emergency preparedness and minimizing harm during critical situations.
However, despite campus violence being in the spotlight, many emerging school safety threats are not as noticeable. Student activity, such as increased vaping, drug use and bullying, is taking a toll on campus health and safety, as shared by educators.
Another significant emerging threat is the deterioration of school infrastructure, driven by underinvestment in campus maintenance, which is causing health concerns, including lapses in air quality. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that more than 41% of U.S. schools need updates to their heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, raising additional health and safety concerns.
These situations highlight the evolving complexities of overall school safety and security. Many have only emerged in the past few years, creating a trajectory that may see more safety threats come to fruition over the foreseeable future.
Creating Safer, Healthier Learning Environments
Ultimately, these emerging school safety threats impact the learning environment. There is a statistical correlation between the number of incidents and a campus's academic output: schools with more safety concerns are less likely to have high-achieving students.
There is now a greater need to address internal concerns to ensure school administrators can facilitate the safest possible learning environment for students, enabling them to achieve more. They also need to ensure that campus faculty have adequate resources to respond to incidents and to shift safety strategies to be more proactive rather than reactive.
As mentioned earlier, some of the primary issues that need review are the rising instances of violence, vaping drug use and school air quality. Advancing school safety technologies can play an integral role in reducing incidents by enabling faster response.
Cloud-based solutions and sensor technology are helping to transform campus safety, adapting to the complex security climate the education sector currently faces. They are assets to administrators seeking a comprehensive security strategy for their schools.
The Role of Smart Sensors in Addressing School Safety
Smart sensors that use Internet of Things (IoT) technology are a valuable asset in a proactive security transition for schools. The devices can help create a healthier, safer learning environment by continuously observing air quality, detecting smoke and vape emissions and transmitting real-time alerts to security personnel to take appropriate action.
School administrators can use the technology as part of a comprehensive school security strategy to expand detection beyond traditional video cameras. Even in areas with limited visual oversight, such as locker rooms and bathrooms, smart sensors can alert the appropriate parties to safety incidents.
While the cost of integrating multiple sensors to address emerging safety threats may be a concern, all-in-one solutions can help address primary campus concerns. Technology such as Halo offers a single device to help detect loud noises, such as gunshots, vaping, drug use and aggression, where any triggers will immediately notify security teams on remote devices.
Smart sensors can play a productive role in mitigating emerging safety threats, offering a scalable, flexible solution to address the rapidly evolving school security landscape. Their integration into campuses can give security teams a new tool for detecting and responding to incidents effectively.
Integrating Scalable School Safety Solutions
Over 77% of Americans now support using technology in schools to combat emerging threats. Such a wide support margin indicates that on-campus issues are a growing concern and that administrators need to shift their focus from preventing incidents on the outside to addressing them internally.
The detection capabilities of smart sensors can help identify incidents faster and provide more detailed information about the event. However, their effectiveness can also deter students from engaging in disorderly activity.
Staying ahead is now the most vital part of addressing emerging school safety concerns. While legacy security systems can still play a role in creating a safe learning environment, smart sensors are crucial for proactively improving campus security and scaling to demand as needs change.