Case Study

School Safety in Action

How VOLT AI Transforms Response at Indian Creek School
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Indian Creek School-1

Key Benefits

Real-Time Detection & Response

VOLT AI identifies medical emergencies and behavioral incidents in real-time, enabling immediate intervention instead of delayed or missed response.

Enhanced Student Well-being

Students benefit from both rapid medical assistance and targeted educational conversations that reinforce positive behaviors.

Operational Efficiency

Security staff can monitor the entire campus efficiently, with automated alerts converting hours of investigation time into seconds of focused response.

Meet Ben Gehle and Matt McCormick at Indian Creek School

Ben Gehle serves as Chief Technology and Operations Officer at Indian Creek School, overseeing the hardware and monitoring components of security, safety, and technology. With a decade of experience at the school, Ben manages the primary response to VOLT AI notifications, coordinating with appropriate staff when incidents arise.

Matt McCormick brings 25 years of educational experience to his role as Middle School Principal. Having witnessed every iteration of the school's security measures, Matt provides valuable insight into how technology like VOLT AI integrates with Indian Creek's community-centered approach to safety.

Indian Creek School prides itself on its strong community culture where students look out for one another. However, even the most positive school environments face safety challenges that require effective monitoring and rapid response.

The Challenges of Comprehensive Campus Safety

Despite Indian Creek's strong positive culture, the school faced significant security gaps that are common in educational environments:

The school's reliance on cultural strength initially made Matt hesitant about introducing additional security measures. However, he recognized that relying solely on culture also had limitations, particularly when it came to detecting incidents that students might not report.

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The school faced several key challenges:

  • Limited visibility during after-hours periods: With administrative coverage ending at 6:00 PM, incidents occurring in the evening had a higher risk of going undetected.
  • Resource constraints for continuous monitoring: Like most schools, Indian Creek lacks the staff to monitor security camera feeds in real-time, leaving cameras primarily as tools for after-the-fact investigation.
  • Time-intensive incident investigations: A single behavioral incident could require 8-12 hours of staff time to investigate properly, pulling administrators away from other critical responsibilities.
  • Missed opportunities for positive reinforcement: Traditional incident response focused primarily on addressing negative behavior, missing chances to acknowledge students who demonstrated positive choices.
“Any investigation takes time. If you want to do it right, a single incident could take 8 to 12 hours — finding time to meet with kids, getting all the different stories, calling parents. That's time we just didn’t have. Thankfully, with VOLT, we no longer need it.”

Matt McCormick

Middle School Principal

VOLT AI Implementation: Turning Cameras into Proactive Safety Tools

After careful consideration about expanding their security measures, Indian Creek implemented VOLT AI to transform their existing camera system into a proactive safety solution. The implementation process was deliberately measured, aligning with the school's thoughtful approach to campus safety.

Ben initially served as the primary recipient for VOLT AI alerts, establishing a workflow for appropriate response before expanding access to other staff members. This intentional rollout allowed the school to:

  • Test alert accuracy and responsiveness: By starting with a limited alert distribution, the team could evaluate the system's effectiveness without overwhelming staff.
  • Different types of alerts required different responses, from security concerns to medical emergencies to behavioral incidents.
  • Integrate with existing security infrastructure: VOLT AI complemented the school's single-entry access points, perimeter fencing, and on-site security personnel.
  • Build confidence in AI-powered monitoring: Initial successes with real incidents demonstrated the system's value to staff who were initially skeptical about AI solutions.

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“We've been very measured in our approach to VOLT. Now that we're relying on it more than ever before, we're ready to expand access to our entire security network. The system has more than proven its value.”

Ben Gehle

Chief Technology and Operations Officer

The system now alerts appropriate staff based on the nature of the incident, with plans to expand monitoring responsibilities to front desk staff, facilities, and the security team—creating a coordinated safety network across the campus.

Real-World Impact: From Detection to Intervention

Since implementing VOLT AI, Indian Creek has experienced several incidents where the technology made a critical difference in both safety outcomes and educational opportunities:

Medical Emergency Detection Prevents Serious Harm

Late one afternoon as administrative coverage was winding down, VOLT AI detected a student lying underneath a bench—an unusual position that triggered a "person down" alert. Ben received the notification at home around 5:55 PM:

“I almost dismissed the first alert thinking it was nothing. When VOLT sent a second notification minutes later, I took a closer look. Thank goodness I did — the student's blood sugar was dangerously low. Without VOLT, they might have been found unconscious hours later.”

Ben Gehle

Chief Technology and Operations Officer

This persistence prompted Ben to take a closer look and notify security, who discovered the student was experiencing dangerously low blood sugar related to diabetes. Emergency medical services were called, and the situation was addressed before it became critical.

Transforming Bullying Intervention into Educational Opportunity

In another incident, VOLT AI detected a potential bullying situation involving a group of friends near a portable toilet. Unlike traditional scenarios where such incidents might go unreported, VOLT AI immediately identified the concerning behavior pattern.

“The scene couldn't have been more textbook if it tried — one student surrounded by a semicircle of others backing him against the door. Without VOLT, we never would have known about it. Now we could address it immediately.”

Ben Gehle

Chief Technology and Operations Officer

What made this intervention particularly valuable wasn't just the rapid response, but the educational opportunity it created. Matt explains:

“The video didn't just show who was bullying — it showed who walked away and who looked uncomfortable. That's powerful. I could reinforce those positive choices: 'I saw you were a standup citizen there. You made a great choice when your friends didn't.”

Matt McCormick

Middle School Principal

This allowed the school to:

  • Address the negative behavior promptly
  • Reinforce positive choices made by bystanders
  • Create teachable moments about friendship and respect
  • Turn what could have been a lengthy investigation into an immediate learning opportunity

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A New Perspective on School Safety

The implementation of VOLT AI has shifted Indian Creek's approach to campus safety, demonstrating how technology can enhance rather than detract from school culture when implemented thoughtfully.

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“I was the most resistant person to security technology you could imagine. Now I'm a full convert. What changed my mind was seeing how VOLT has been implemented in a culturally aware way that actually strengthens our community values.”

Matt McCormick

Middle School Principal

The school maintains strict privacy policies around footage access, treating video as protected data similar to academic or health records. Only designated staff can access footage, and only for legitimate safety or behavioral concerns—never for minor issues like missing water bottles.

“VOLT AI is another tool in our toolbelt, not a replacement for human judgment. The anonymous nature of the technology is particularly reassuring — we wouldn't have been interested if there were privacy concerns.”

Ben Gehle

Chief Technology and Operations Officer

As Indian Creek prepares to expand VOLT AI access to more staff members, they're thoughtfully considering how to communicate this technology to their broader community. They recognize that explaining the system's privacy protections and safety benefits will be crucial for maintaining the school's supportive culture.

By partnering with VOLT, Indian Creek School has discovered that technology and school culture can work hand-in-hand, creating a safety infrastructure that preserves their community-centered approach while adding critical protections for students and staff.

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