Rapid Temperature Kiosk Case Study: Northbrook ESD 27 School District

KEEPING SCHOOLS OPEN DURING A PANDEMIC

Trevor Hope is the Director of Technology at Northbrook School District 27. During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic the district opened the school year with a hybrid schedule to protect the health of students and staff. To make the program work, the primary and middle schools in Northbrook, Illinois needed a way to quickly check temperatures of hundreds of students and staff entering the school buildings every day.

THE CHALLENGE

The hybrid schedule meant the district has around 1,000 students attending classes in-person, split into two groups coming to school on alternating days. That means up to 600 staff and students need to have their temperature checked before entering the schools every day.

THE SOLUTION

Each of the District’s school entrances must be able to accommodate hundreds of students quickly so that social distancing can be maintained, and students will not be left waiting in cold, wet or snowy weather. Initially, the district considered using handheld thermometers, but that would necessitate large numbers of adult staff to operate while breaking social distancing with several students every morning.

When Hope learned that GFC offered automated kiosks, he quickly requested a virtual demo and was impressed. “The temperature kiosks could do everything we needed and more,” says Hope. “I especially like that we could lease the machines so we wouldn’t have to own all this equipment. I also really liked that GFC technicians would be there for service and support.”

THE RESULT

GFC installed 19 temperature kiosks which get used every morning, with some in use all day. Once a student takes their temperature and it is normal, then they scan their student ID at a computer as a part of self-certification process and then join their classes. Hope notes that the machines have capabilities a school doesn’t need, like the ability to automatically lock doors and track data, which the school does not enable for safety and privacy reasons. “I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how smooth everything has been,” says Hope. “We made a few adjustments, but since GFC installed the kiosks, we’ve been able to keep arrival at school running as close to normal as possible.”

"The temperature screening is running like a well-oiled machine. We haven’t had to place any service calls, but it’s nice to know that if we do, the same GFC team we already know and trust is there to help.”

—Trevor Hope
Director of Technology