In response to the increased shootings in K-12 schools across the United States, the Center for Applied Technologies for School Security (CATS2) was founded in December 2022 by a group of security professionals and non-profit organizations focused on children's safety. CATS2 is a non-profit dedicated to developing and customizing technologies to mitigate school shooting situations, particularly during the first critical minutes of an attack. Recognizing the lack of full-time professional law enforcement, counterterror, and emergency response personnel in schools, CATS2 developed the 'OWL for Schools' program—an emergency instruction, communication, and orchestration solution specifically designed for non-security professionals in K-12 settings.
The OWL for Schools program is a smartphone app for school staff and students and a web-based dashboard for tracking, orchestration, and messaging. The app is designed using Simple Stress Focused (SSF) Design principles, which prioritize user experience under high-stress conditions, making it easy to use with calming color schemes, minimal information, and clear instructions. The program aims to enhance situational awareness, guide users in taking appropriate actions, and facilitate effective communication during emergencies. The CATS2 Foundation intends to make this tool available free of charge to all U.S. K-12 schools that need it.
To assess the real-world usability and security features of OWL, CATS2 partnered with Cambridge Global Advisors (CGA) to conduct an evaluation. The assessment involved a tabletop exercise with security subject matter experts (SMEs) who reviewed the system's components, including the mobile app, situational awareness dashboard, and communication features, during a simulated school shooting event in ‘not a drill mode’. Feedback was gathered through live interactive comments, structured questionnaires, and a roundtable discussion. The evaluation focused on three themes: situational awareness, clear instruction delivery, and effective communication strategies.
Key findings from the evaluation highlighted the app's effectiveness in providing clear instructions and real-time situational awareness, potentially reducing the risk of injury or loss of life. The app's design was praised for its user-centric design, reducing stress and anxiety with non-threatening visuals and a streamlined interface. Recommendations included allowing schools to customize instruction messages and considering law enforcement's role in enabling geolocation-based evacuation features, rather than making them automatically available to schools.
