Georgia Preparatory School Leverages 22Miles Thermal Scanning Technology to Protect Students, Staff, & Faculty During Coronavirus Pandemic

Thermal Screening for Schools

The Client

Ivy Preparatory Academy is Georgia’s first state public charter school for girls. Founded in 2007 and located in the city of Atlanta, Ivy Prep’s large multi-building campus is home to 500 students ranging from middle to high school ages. The school prides itself on offering a passionate learning environment, with a strong culture that inspires excellence.

The Challenge

When the COVID-19 pandemic first took hold in the U.S, Ivy Prep was just getting into its spring semester. After reviewing state reports, CDC guidelines, and advisories, the school decided to complete the semester with hybrid/virtual classes. As COVID-19 cases soared in Georgia, parents, staff, and students were calling with concerns for the upcoming semester of keeping everyone safe and ensuring the virus stayed out of Ivy Preparatory Academy. Throughout the summer, school officials researched different technology solutions that could potentially reduce the risk of viral spread, reaching out to 22Miles after searching for thermal screening equipment online.

Ivy Prep TempDefend

The Solution

Since the beginning of the pandemic and entering into the new school year, experiential 3D interactive wayfinding and digital signage technology company, 22Miles, worked closely with a number of schools, colleges, and other organizations to offer customized digital signage systems for their facilities that address the challenges faced in ‘the new normal’. The company’s thermal screening solution, TempDefend™,  has proven especially valuable to colleges and schools as the fall semester reopenings began to go into full or partial effect nationwide.
22Miles worked with Ivy Preparatory Academy officials to install a 10″ TempDefend Thermal Scanner Kiosk at the front entrance of the school. The scanner faces the door, so that once an entrant is buzzed in by the nurse, the system automatically scans the visitor for elevated body temperature, displaying their temperature on-screen. The system is automated and password-protected, satisfying school official’s privacy concerns for individuals screened.
The solution also collects data in a secure and compliant system where designated school officials can access information. If a person with COVID-19 does enter the building, the data can then be reviewed for contact tracing, initiating school safety procedures, or other relevant protocols. Ivy’s administration appreciated the fact that they could fully customize the system, and the school’s administration felt that having a system like TempDefend in place was of the highest importance.

The Results

Ivy Prep’s top priority was to go the extra mile to ensure parents, staff, and students that when the school does return to a full reopening, they have systems in place to maintain everyone’s safety and health.
The school notified parents, teachers, and other staff about the addition of the TempDefend unit via their weekly newsletter. Staff members have expressed excitement about the system being in place, and are comforted that the school has taken the precautions to look out for everyone’s health and best interests. Administrators are now considering placing additional units at other entry points of the school, as well as possible integrations of additional features that TempDefend offers.
Learn more about Thermal Scanning, 22Miles, and TempDefend at www.22miles.com/tempdefend/.
“I think it is extremely helpful and beneficial to have the TempDefend system where there is a touchless temperature scan where in real-time these temperatures are logged into a secure database. The way we have our system set up our system here at Ivy Prep, is that TempDefend is our first point of contact, and that is a good ten to twelve feet away from the first person on our staff a visitor would meet. That allows the temperature to be taken at a socially distanced point, which keeps our staff safe” 
– Derek Bolton, Ivy Preparatory Academy Director of Operations 

22 Miles was built on innovation and provides a platform for all dynamic
digital integration

With Global deployments spreading across four continents and thousands of units deployed, 22 Miles has a demonstrated track
record of helping organizations visually reach and technically surpass their digital solution needs.

Digital Signage Software