Back To School Sale

"Bueller? Bueller?" The sound of Ben Stein's droning voice calling roll in the second scene of John Hughes' 1986 teen classic Ferris Bueller's Day Off brings back memories to many of us. We all had a Ferris Bueller or a Huckleberry Finn in our class, the guy the teachers were always chasing down. But had Huck Finn or his 1980s counterpart Ferris Bueller gone to Royal Palm Beach High School (RPBHS) today, it isn't likely that either would get away with any antics.

RPBHS opened its doors for the first time in 1996, enrolling 2,300 students. Just one year later, enrollment grew to 2,800, the result of burgeoning communities in the Palm Beach area. While growth was rapid, it wasn't unexpected, and school officials were prepared. Having recognized the security benefits of a visible system for identifying students on campus, school officials implemented a photo ID solution before ringing the first bell of the '97-'98 school year. After interviewing four VARs, Plasco ID (Miami) was chosen to do the installation.

Plasco sold RPBHS an electronic photo identification system consisting of EPISUITE Pro ID software, a digital camera, a Fargo laminating ID card printer, a signature capture pad, and a networked EPISUITE LAN station. Students, faculty, and staff were photographed and issued bar-coded photo ID cards at the beginning of the school year. Student information was entered using EPISUITE software, which kept a record of cardholder data including a photograph, contact information, class schedules, and discipline records. "While Plasco wasn't the least expensive of the four VARs we tested, we liked their solution the best," said Diane Babcock, IT director at RPBHS. "The design customization options they gave us, combined with their hardware and software support, convinced us to swallow the cost and choose their product."

Problem Solving VAR Earns Extra Credit
End-of-year statistics brought another problem to light - attendance tracking. Statistics showed that 20.9% of the school's 2,800 students had been marked absent more than 21 days in '97-'98. School officials questioned the accuracy of this figure, due to the manual count attendance method in place. How often, they wondered, did students that were marked absent actually come in after the bell, when attendance sheets had already been turned in? This much was known: poor attendance statistics would hurt the school's bottom line, as state funding is tied closely to these figures. School officials realized the need to implement an attendance tracking solution that would work with its ID system. Plasco ID was poised to sell an upgrade.

"While the school knew a solution was needed, we still had to make an effort to sell the new system. We had to show them how our new hardware and software would be beneficial," said William Shevchuk, account executive at Plasco. "They wanted something that would batch print and process IDs, software that could pull up pictures, and a tracking system that would make better use of the card's functionality. We showed them how we could make it all happen."

For '98-'99, the school contracted Plasco ID to add its PlascoTRAC card-swipe tracking system to the EPISUITE Pro ID software package. Plasco also upgraded the EPISUITE system at that time by adding an additional networked LAN station, a Kodak DVC 325 digital camera, and a Fargo Pro-L Color ID Card Printer. The PlascoTRAC system features three ScanPlus 1800 bar code readers equipped with high-speed Eltron LP2742 pass printers and two PlascoTRAC 2.0 LAN stations. All three are networked with EPISUITE to one database.

Passing Grades = More Sales
A late or otherwise delinquent student is escorted to one of three scanning stations to swipe his card and get a pass. The pass not only serves as the student's admission to class, but also issues a preprogrammed disciplinary action based on the severity and frequency of his infractions. "Since implementing PlascoTRAC, we've seen a 50% increase in record keeping efficiency and a 75% decrease in tardiness. Our kids are getting to school on time and we're spending half as much time tracking down students and doling out detentions," said Babcock. According to a Florida Department of Education Report, attendance figures at RPBHS are improving as well. The percentage of students reported absent more than 21 days fell from 20.9% to 14.7% between the '97-'98 and '99-'00 school years, indicating a 30% improvement.

Plasco's academic niche might be the bane of the class clown's antics, but it's serving the company just fine. Plasco was recently awarded a contract with the Broward County School District to implement similar systems. By offering customizable solutions and thorough technical support, this VAR is making the grade.