ASIS Foundation Awards $40,000 for Security Enhancements to Chicago Public School
Alexandria, VA (PRWEB) July 08, 2013 -- Spencer Technology Academy, in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), has been selected as the winner of ASIS Foundation’s School Security Funding Competition. ASIS International (ASIS), the leading organization for security management professionals worldwide, is the largest donor to this annual initiative to improve school security with a $20,000 donation. A full listing of donors may be viewed online.
Located on the Westside of Chicago, Spencer Technology Academy houses 930 students in grades PreK-8 in two separate buildings. Proposed improvements include the addition of both indoor and outdoor surveillance cameras to act as a deterrent for potential wrongdoers and to provide staff the means by which to monitor the safety of the children as they pass from one building to the second, as well as those entering and exiting the school.
“It is difficult to express into words what this award means to my school and the students and families that we serve in our community. Securing our campus is increasingly challenging,” stated Spencer Technology Academy Principal Dr. Shawn L. Jackson. “Unmonitored entrance points make our school vulnerable to unwanted access leading to equipment theft, violent activity, and criminal behavior.” At Spencer, the goal of the educators is to prepare students for college and career by providing access and exposure to necessary technological resources. “This award will provide for enhanced security that will allow us to continue to provide the latest technological equipment and to provide a safe learning environment for our students and to meet our goal,” added Jackson.
Schools within CPS were asked to consider—through a series of short essays—their particular security concerns and how those concerns might impact their students, teachers and administrators. They were asked to describe security risks they would attempt to reduce and/or eliminate, and list specific security enhancements they would purchase with the funding. A committee comprised of security management professionals from the ASIS Chicago Chapter judged the submissions.
“This is the tenth year that ASIS has sponsored this competition, as a way of giving back to the community where our Annual Seminar and Exhibits is held,” says ASIS Chief Executive Officer Michael J. Stack. “The aim of the competition is to encourage local schools to assess the security issues that confront their buildings, staff and students every day.”
Students’ behavior online presents just as many threats to their safety and security as physical threats. To complement the ASIS donation to Spencer, (ISC)², through its Foundation, is donating its Safe and Secure Online Program to help students become responsible, ethical digital citizens. Safe and Secure Online teaches HOW to stay safe online by educating children, parents and teachers and has taught responsible computing to more than 90,000 students worldwide. Trained volunteers visit schools for free teaching cyber-safety, cyber-security, and cyber-ethics while fostering an interest in cyber careers. Safe and Secure Online was developed by former school teachers and is presented by certified information security experts. The Chicago school district, which is the 3rd largest in the country with 675 schools and over 500k students, is aiming to implement the SSO program in its schools beginning this fall.
“As incidents of cyber bullying, identity theft, and other cybercrimes increase, so does the demand for education in schools and community organizations,” commented Julie Peeler, director of the (ISC)² Foundation. “We can be much more effective at protecting our children by taking a comprehensive approach to security from threats both tangible and virtual.”
The ASIS International 59th Annual Seminar and Exhibits(ASIS 2013) will be held Sept. 24-27 (Tuesday through Friday) at McCormick Place. With 700 exhibitors featuring everything from access control to X-ray scanners, along with more than 200 educational sessions, ASIS 2013 is the security industry’s leading event. For more information, visit http://www.asis2013.org.
A special awards ceremony will be held at the school on Friday, Sept. 20, 2013. ASIS will also recognize Spencer Technology Academy and Principal Jackson at a special awards luncheon on Sept. 27 at McCormick Place.
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About ASIS International
ASIS International is the preeminent organization for security professionals, with more than 38,000 members worldwide. Founded in 1955, ASIS is dedicated to increasing the effectiveness and productivity of security professionals by developing educational programs and materials that address broad security interests, such as the ASIS Annual Seminar and Exhibits, as well as specific security topics. ASIS also advocates the role and value of the security management profession to business, the media, government entities and the public. By providing members and the security community with access to a full range of programs and services, and by publishing the industry’s No. 1 magazine—Security Management—ASIS leads the way for advanced and improved security performance.
About the Foundation
The ASIS Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, advances the security profession worldwide by funding leading-edge research, education, and training. Foundation awards and scholarships ensure those pursuing a security management career are able to realize their academic and professional goals. Support for the Foundation is achieved through financial contributions from individuals, chapters, and companies with an interest in the security industry.
About the (ISC)2 Foundation
The (ISC)2 Foundation encourages community service and engagement that has a lasting effect on communities around the globe by supporting community education programs that leverage the unique skill sets of information security professionals. It is dedicated to building the next generation of information security professionals with scholarships aimed at students from high school through post-graduate work, and it supports research that illuminates the information security issues facing governments, private industry, educators, the information security profession, and society.
Leigh McGuire, ASIS International, https://www.asisonline.org, 703-518-1465, [email protected]
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