Modernizing School Security: How Moon Area School District Saved $150,000+ With Rhombus

Moon Area School District, located in western Pennsylvania, serves over 4,000 students across seven schools. As the district expands to serve more students and build new facilities, frustration and gaps with their physical security became increasingly evident to district leadership. Facing increasing demands for system reliability, easier incident investigation, and a desire to incorporate AI analytics into security operations, Moon Area School District undertook a modernization of its security infrastructure. Their goal was to improve student safety while reducing strain on resources.

Growing School District with Aging Security Infrastructure 

Moon Area School District faced multiple critical challenges with an aging security infrastructure: 

• Legacy camera systems were becoming increasingly unreliable 
• Security staff spent hours searching for specific footage across different locations 
• District resources were potentially being used by non-resident students 
• Traditional security solutions weren't scaling with the district's growth 

As Superintendent Barry Balaski and his team assessed their needs across the district, they sought cloud-based physical security that was easy to use, scalable, and cost effective. 

The Rhombus Difference

Rhombus provided Moon Area School District with an easy-to-use cloud-managed physical security platform, equipped with advanced AI analytics to keep their students, staff and facilities secure. With smart cloud cameras deployed across the district, unified monitoring from a single pane of glass, and AI Analytics like license plate recognition (LPR), Moon Area School District reduced costs while enhancing security operations. 

Saved $150,000+ with License Plate Verification 

Like any school district, ensuring resources are allocated to residents of the district is critical. Over time, the district found that residents from other areas were enrolling their students in Moon Area School District. To address this issue, the district deployed Rhombus cloud cameras and license plate recognition to keep track of all license plates dropping off and picking up students.   

"Using this technology to verify enrollments has been a game-changer, saving the district significant costs." - Barry Balaski, Superintendent

By matching Rhombus LPR data and camera footage with a national registry of license plates, the district can efficiently ensure that district budget is being allocated correctly and take fast action to ensure funds are only being used for residents of the district. With Rhombus, Moon Area School District has saved over $150,000 in district funds by using LPR for residency verification processes. This process ensures that resources are preserved for families within the district while maintaining fairness and equity. 

Enhanced District Security and Response Time with AI Analytics 

Moon Area School District has dramatically enhanced its incident response capabilities using Rhombus' advanced analytics tools. Previously, with their legacy system, locating footage and resolving incidents consumed hours of staff time. Since implementing Rhombus, the district has reduced incident resolution time from hours to mere minutes. With three School Resource Officers that are Moon police officers, the district can share Rhombus access with police officers who are out on patrol to improve incident response times. District leadership also leverages Rhombus AI Analytics features, including color search and facial recognition, to quickly locate necessary footage and take prompt corrective action. 

"With Rhombus, my team can resolve incidents quickly and efficiently, saving us valuable time during critical moments. Even principals and other staff, who may only use the system occasionally, find the interface intuitive and effective for their needs." - Barry Balaski, Superintendent.

In addition to reducing incident response time, the district has focused on improving security at their largest events including their high school football games which can have thousands of attendees. With proactive monitoring powered by the Rhombus console, on-site security teams can now provide better crowd control and oversight. If an incident occurs, School Resource Officers (SROs) and security personnel can quickly respond with coordinated action, pull footage immediately, and share with local police in seconds.

Improved Operational Efficiency and Simplified Infrastructure 

Transitioning to Rhombus’ cloud-based platform has eliminated costly, time-consuming on-premise server maintenance, and reduced Moon Area School District’s reliance on outdated software and hardware. Instead of wasting precious resources maintaining their legacy on-premise system, with Rhombus’ simplified physical security infrastructure, Moon Area School District benefits from automatic product updates, camera health alerts, and 24/7 remote system access for convenient troubleshooting -- anytime, anywhere. 

Moon Area School District has also strengthened collaboration between security personnel and administration with centralized management of physical security operations through the Rhombus console as a single source of truth. With video walls used by leadership across district buildings, monitoring what is happening in real time, and ease of sharing video clips, security knows where to deploy resources to keep students and staff safe. This has allowed district leadership and security teams to communicate and resolve threats faster.  

A Safer Future with Rhombus

"What truly sets Rhombus apart is their team. The people behind technology have been incredible to work with—always listening to our needs and going above and beyond to support us. It's not just about the product; it's about the partnership, and we couldn’t ask for a better one." — Barry Balaski, Superintendent

Moon Area School District is expanding its partnership with Rhombus to address emerging needs and enhance security and safety across its facilities. Plans are underway to install Rhombus cameras to protect a newly constructed 10,000-person capacity stadium, ensuring event safety and operational efficiency for the district’s largest events. The district is also deploying Rhombus in its new maintenance facility to streamline operations and improve oversight.  

As the security needs of the district continue to evolve, Rhombus is helping them adapt to whatever comes their way. With future deployments of access control, panic buttons, and integrations with the Rhombus Open API in the works, Moon Area School District continues to improve safety and security for all its students, staff, and residents. Rhombus has proven to be a reliable and innovative partner for Moon Area School District, delivering measurable benefits in security, operational efficiency, and cost savings.