Smart Safety: How Technology is Transforming School Event Security
School Safety Today podcast, presented by Raptor Technologies.
In this episode of School Safety Today by Raptor Technologies, host Dr. Amy Grosso talks with TJ Markland, General Manager of Payments at Raptor Technologies, to discuss the often-overlooked safety challenges of school events—from daytime assemblies to Friday night football. As schools work to balance hospitality with security, TJ shares how digital tools are helping them plan smarter, monitor more effectively, and respond faster. With the right technology in place, schools can move beyond reactive protocols and start designing safer, more seamless event experiences for students, families, and the community.
KEY POINTS:
- Why the same safety protocols used during the school day should apply to everything from small assemblies to Friday night football.
- How tools like geo-fenced check-ins, AI, and digital ticketing give schools real-time visibility, faster response, and tighter control over events.
- How data acts as a quiet partner in school safety, revealing patterns that help schools predict risks, deploy staff more effectively, and make each event safer than the last.
Our guest, TJ Markland, is a leading authority in school payment systems and event safety. He has spent time building integrated payment gateways for SaaS platforms, making it easier for businesses to process transactions. Previously, TJ was the General Manager of PayK12, a cloud-based solution that simplifies school payments and financial management, now part of the Raptor Platform. Over more than five years at PayK12, he was instrumental in enhancing the platform’s features, with a strong emphasis on minimizing risk and boosting efficiency for schools. Currently, as General Manager of Payments, TJ has helped launch Raptor’s latest innovation, EventSafe™, which enables school staff to plan and manage events—such as assemblies, performances, and parent visits—while maintaining a high standard of campus safety.
