Mountain View Los Altos Union High School District
$75,000
annual cost-savings with no access control service fee
Seconds
to view footage for any door event
Instant
verification of door lock status
Established in 1901 in the heart of Silicon Valley, the Mountain View Los Altos High School District (MVLA) serves 4,400 students across the cities of Mountain View, Los Altos, and Los Altos Hills. It houses two award-winning high school campuses commonly ranked in the top 1 percent nationally; it also hosts a continuation high school, an adult education campus, an alternative academy for arts and technology, and a nontraditional high school program held at an innovation center.
As the Director of Information Technology (IT) Services, Bob Fishtrom has worked in public education for over 29 years. Like many educational IT leaders, he recognized the necessity for IT's involvement in access control decisions—a domain traditionally considered outside the IT purview.
“Times are changing. Access control is no longer just a matter of handing out cards and being able to lock down in an emergency. We need a more technologically advanced system that can continuously evolve to support changing protocols.”
The Challenge
"Initially, IT was not involved with access control, but the repeated failures of the previous system emphasized the need for better technology and a holistic approach. I took a greater role in evaluating potential solutions, demonstrating the importance of proper integration to our teams, and guiding the purchasing decisions."
To support convergent safety strategies across multiple campuses, Bob assumed the responsibility of upgrading the physical security system at MVLA. The turning point came with the repeated failures of its legacy access system, which required a hefty annual service fee of $75,000 and lacked integration with modern IT practices such as Active Directory.
“Manual inputs often lead to human error. Having access control separate from video security meant logging in and setting up user permissions in two places, which becomes a big search-and-destroy mission.”
Why Verkada: Access Control for School Security
“Even with preparation, people in an emergency may panic and forget procedures. Having tools that reinforce safety protocols, maintain peace of mind, and automate responses are a necessity. Once we experienced Verkada, there was no looking back.”
For Bob, school safety is more than a product conversation – it’s about real-world impact and results. With Verkada, staff and students are protected with tools that increase visibility, control, and security over critical areas.
Verkada access controls:
secure more doors through lock integrations, which include Schlage options that support industry best practices for schools.
centrally manage locks and all associated access events, permissions, and credentials from Command – the same platform as all hardwired doors.
integrate with cameras, locks, intercom, visitor management, and alarm systems.
streamline IT tools with SCIM and Active Directory to automate user provisioning.
bring multiple school sites into a cloud-based Command platform to manage with ease from a web browser or mobile device.
empower staff with an intuitive software interface that’s easy to use.
Provides custom lockdown scenarios while still allowing first responders to access buildings.
enable staff to lock or unlock doors remotely and use their smartphone as a modern access credential through the Verkada Pass App.
minimize hardware footprints by bringing Verkada access control directly to the door lock, eliminating the need for on-premise servers or databases.
Lock Integrations and Emergency Response Tools
Each school has unique classroom safety guidelines, from lock functionality to training procedures. Still, a fundamental approach remains as simple as a locked door. According to industry best practices, locks on classroom doors should meet the following safety parameters:
Outside levers should be lockable from inside the room without opening the door.
Locks on classroom doors should be able to open from outside of the room with key or credential, allowing access for administration or law enforcement.
Classroom locking devices should comply with fire, life safety, and ADA codes and requirements.
Keys or credentials should always be in the possession of teachers and staff.
Locks should have visual indicators so occupants of the room can see the status of the door (locked or unlocked).
To align with the above, Verkada supports lock integrations with Allegion Schlage, a global provider of seamless access. The integrations open the door to various emergency response capabilities, including the ability to set lockdown procedures and initiate lockdown in one tap from a mobile app, desktop, or panic button. Bob elaborates, “We've trained the administrators on how to respond to incidents from their phones and from Command on their desktop.”
Meanwhile, visual indicators simulataneously give teachers and students peace of mind knowing at a glance when the door is locked. “Schlage locks blink red every 10 seconds on the inside, so a teacher can be certain that door is locked.”
Automating Door Schedules and Credential Management
Door schedules ensure only authorized individuals can enter specific areas at designated times. SMS or email alerts notify security if someone tries to enter a facility after hours, or attempts to enter a space they are not authorized to access.
“We have full Active Directory integration, so everything we have now is fully automated. Doors schedules are set around school hours, and we can easily add exceptions for holidays and events.”
While Bob can easily change a door’s schedule in Command, there are instances where other school staff may need to override a door’s schedule manually. By double-badging on the door reader, staff can switch between access schedules without having to touch Command; they simply tap their credential against the door reader twice within a few seconds and a schedule override is placed on – or removed from – the door.
Camera Footage for Any Door Event
“It takes seconds – one click – to view any door event.”
Bob and the security team can quickly review video security footage paired with any door, speeding up investigations to a fraction of the previous time. Natively integrated with access control, over 400 Verkada cameras oversee key areas – such as campus perimeters, entries, and exits. If a repeat offender is spotted, Person of Interest (POI) alerts notify security staff to be aware and observe. By building on automated end-to-end SCIM user management workflow, Bob can even assign a POI alert to an access user from their user profile. This capability is useful if an individual moves from being a permissioned access user to a POI who may be a risk across multiple locations.
While models like CF81-E Fisheye, CB61 Bullet, and CD61, CD62, CD51, D80 Dome Series cameras empower safety and security teams with ‘eyes on the ground’, Bob highlights the CH52-E Multisensor for offering four lenses in one device. It has been a cost-effective solution that eliminates the need for multiple individual cameras to cover the same area.
“The multisensor provides four angles and cameras from a single ethernet cable. From a cost analysis standpoint, we save approximatly $7000 on just wiring alone.”
Guest Management and Access
Verkada Guest welcomes all types of visitors at the student services center where counseling and therapy sessions are held. The Workplace solution allows for efficient check-ins and check-outs via smartphones, bolstering convenience and safety by ensuring that all visits are digitally logged. By eliminating the need for a pen-and-paper logbook, MVLA can better protect the names and confidentiality of patients receiving care. Custom sign-in flows also include document signing, touchless check-in through a QR code, and automatic host notifications.
“We imported the staff list, so when students check in downstairs, the admin team can quickly see how many visits each counselor or therapist has received. It saves students a lot of time to check in and out with their phones, and the host is notified immediately there’s someone there to see them.”
Through Guest, the administrative team gains valuable insights into visitor traffic to better understand and manage the flow of people. This data can then inform staffing decisions, resource allocation, and even security measures.
Intercom Calling, Receiving, and Streamlined Communications
“As a former school administrator, Verkada Intercom – paired with Guest – is one of the most powerful tools I've seen for campus safety.”
To support safety protocols and operational needs, Verkada Intercom facilitates controlled access and streamlined communication, which is particularly crucial in areas with gated access and heightened security. Through a trial of the TD52, Bob is exploring use cases for remote warehouse and delivery management.
"By placing an Intercom in our warehouse, we can receive deliveries and unlock the door from the Verkada Pass app. Staff receiving the delivery can answer the call, grant access, and monitor the entire process – without having to be onsite.”
Air Quality Monitoring in Access-Controlled MDF Closets
Only designated personnel have access to the MDF closets, which house the district’s IT infrastructure. These areas are access-controlled and monitored by air quality sensors, offering real-time alerts for unusual temperature or air quality issues. While MVLA currently does not use sensors for vape detection, the devices can also detect vape emissions.
"Our air quality sensors protect our network infrastructure and have the potential to address vaping incidents as well.”
Alarms for Door Incident Detection and Automated Response
The combination of alarms, access control, and video verification would support a multi-layered security strategy for the adult education campus. From wireless door sensors to video-verified intrusion detection, the Alarms solution makes it possible to detect, deter, and take action against incidents around the clock. A door being forced open or accessed after hours can trigger an alarm and immediate review by professional monitoring agents, who can then dispatch police for confirmed threats.
"By incorporating Verkada Alarms into our security infrastructure, we can swiftly detect issues on-campus and automate emergency response to incidents. If someone breaks in, a professional monitoring agent can verify the threat and respond immediately.”
Looking Ahead
“Verkada thinks ahead and anticipates our needs. New tools are continuously introduced through firmware updates to help us manage school security at scale. It’s exciting to see the applications grow and discover new use cases.”
Bob takes a holistic approach to safety that integrates access control with locks, intercoms, guest management, cameras, intercoms, sensors, and alarms. New features and security enhancements are constantly introduced through automatic software and firmware enhancements, providing the district with the latest tools for school safety. These technologies collectively improve MVLA's ability to monitor, communicate, respond, and plan for emergency situations.
"Each product is powerful on its own, but they work even better together. This is my 29th year in education and my 11th year as a Director of Technology, and I've never seen anything like this before. The ease of use has been transformative, and ultimately, this helps us keep our campuses safe across multiple cities.”
Learn more about Verkada Access Control, get started with a personalized demo or free trial.