The One Mistake Schools Can’t Afford A Wake-Up Call on Student Security

1. The One Mistake Schools Can’t Afford: A Wake-Up Call on Student Security During aDigiSurakshademo at a well-known school in Maharashtra in April 2025, the principal shared a situation that no school wants to experience—but one many schools unknowingly risk each day. “There were two separate occasions,” the principal shared, “When students left the premises without being picked up by their parents. It created confusion and panic until we could track them down.” Fortunately, both children were found safe. But the incidents causeda wave of distress among staff and parents. It was a moment of realization:even one mistake is one too manywhen it comes to student safety. A Common but Critical Gap in School Security Most schools still rely on: Manual gate checks ID cards that are easy to fake or misuse A human memory of faces and names But thesetraditional methods fail in real-time, high-pressure situations. All it takes is one moment of distraction for a student to leave with someone they shouldn’t—or walk out unnoticed altogether.

2. The Real Problem Isn’t a Lack of Concern—It’s Outdated Systems Schools take safety seriously. But many are using1995 tools to handle 2025 risks. Today, the challenge isn’t just about physical barriers like gates or guards. It’s aboutreal-time verification, authorization, and accountability. In many schools, the only thing separating a student from the outside world is human judgment—made in seconds, under pressure. We trust that judgment. But should we rely on it alone? Rethinking School Security: Not Just Locking Doors- But Knowing Who’s at Them School safety doesn’t just mean keeping bad actors out. It means ensuring every child leavesonly with someone who is verified to take them.It meansreplacing guesswork with a system.This is whereidentity verificationsteps in—not as a flashy tool, but as a fundamental layer of trust. Imagine this: Every parent or guardian has a secure, tamper-proof, school-issued ID. The ID is verified in real time at the gate—using facial biometrics or secure QR No internet? No problem. The system works offline. If someone else tries to pick up the child? The school knows immediately. “This isn’t about branding—it’s about eliminating uncertainty at the most vulnerable moment of the school day.” Schools Don’t Need Bigger Security Budgets—They Need Smarter Systems Let’s be honest: most schoolsdon’t have the luxury of deploying guards or facial cameras at every entrance. Nor should they. What they need is: A system that’saffordable and easy to adopt One thatfits into the existing daily routine A process thatreduces pressure on staff instead of adding to it Technology should assist, not overwhelm. What This Means for Your School If your school has ever: Faced confusion during pickup Had to make a difficult call to a parent about who collected their child

3. Seen security as important but impossible to scale …it’s time to ask different questions. Instead of “How do we check faster?” Ask:“How do we verify better?” Instead of “How do we stop every possible threat?” Ask:“How do we ensure only the right people get through?” Final Thought: Security Shouldn’t Start After Something Goes Wrong What happened in Maharashtra is not an outlier. It’s a warning sign. A subtle one. But one schools across India must start listening to. Because in school security, prevention isn’t just better than cure—it’sthe only cure that works. Want to see how other schools are building smarter gate systems? Book a 15-minute walkthroughto see how Digi Suraksha helps schools verify, not just check. It’s free, fast, and might change how you look at pickup security. No jargon. No pressure. Just a conversation worth having.