Over its decades of service, Silke has distinguished itself through attentive customer service and dedication to system performance and reliability. We understand the unique demands of education users and the wide variance of systems and facilities that are in place. That’s where our experience really makes the difference. Public and private schools, districts, and campuses of all sizes rely on Silke for routine and emergency communications. Uses include one-to-many and one-to-one communications within single buildings, across entire school districts and even between school districts. Applications generally fall into three categories: facilities, security and transportation.

Building & Facilities Communication

Radio makes facilities operations simple, efficient and affordable. The proper equipment and system benefit your entire campus immediately by helping to keep the front office, administration, teachers, classified, custodial and maintenance teams in contact. Simple push-to-talk operation, efficient one-to-many or one-to-one options, and rugged gear are particularly useful for tasks ranging from locating a student to requesting custodial or administrative support. Silke works with you to identify the best solution for your particular setting and demands. In addition to helping with the specifics of equipment, we can also assist with the communications network. Depending on the situation, a school may use its own radio network (which Silke can help manage and maintain, if desired) or Silke’s FleetNet™ Digital system. Needs vary from district to district, and Silke prides itself on identifying and installing the equipment and network that will best serve the schools’ needs.

Security Solutions & Instant Lockdowns: SchoolLockEd

On the facilities side, Silke also offers SchoolLockEd, an easy-to-implement system that allows any designated user to instantly and remotely initiate a lockdown. The system has been well received because of its simplicity of use and affordability. SchoolLockEd is a radio-based system that allows you to remotely initiate a lockdown using your handheld radio and existing door hardware and systems. It is highly customizable, allowing you to update your current emergency protocols by allowing multiple staff to instantly initiate a lockdown — rather than leaving it to a few people with access to the security system.

It uses a digital radio network and designated handheld radios to signal your access control panel and relay a signal to any connected electronic door to lockdown. The lockdown can be canceled with another radio cue or – for an even higher level of security – a physical RFID card.

SchoolLockEd can be used in a wide range of facilities. From the newest schools with centrally managed and fully automated lock systems to old buildings with just a few electronic doors, SchoolLockEd can be put to work. And we make it easy for you, working with you to customize the system based on your building’s existing infrastructure, integrating SchoolLockEd with existing control panel and processes.

Because SchoolLockEd is very building-specific, we recommend a physical visit and assessment. There is no obligation or fee for the site visit. Based on our findings we will provide a firm estimate specific to your needs and equipment. If you proceed, the system installation is typically quite fast and creates little disruption.

Dispatch & Transportation Systems

Silke also serves many school transportation departments and providers. Its offerings range from design and provisioning to installation and maintenance. Some users use Silke-sourced equipment on their own networks but many use FleetNet. Silke’s extensive coverage provides coverage when vehicles leave their home area, and extra features such as intra-district communications can be easily added.

In addition to voice services, we offer AVL, GPS and other digital data services. Customers can choose plug-and-play solutions or we can develop custom systems.

Inter-District Communications

Our BusNet™ service makes inter-district communications easy. This coordinated digital network function allows drivers to request or offer support to their peers when operating outside district boundaries. This is a free add-on service for Silke customers who use the FleetNet digital radio network.