Unlocking the Future: The Transformation of Private School Operations and Student Safety

 

The digital revolution is not just changing daily life; it’s reshaping the education landscape, particularly in private school operations and student safety.

With the advent of the global pandemic, the urgency to adapt and innovate has become paramount. With their unique management structures and independent funding, private schools are navigating their own challenges. According to the Council for American Private Education (CAPE), there are nearly 35,000 private schools in the U.S., serving more than 5.7 million students – each requiring a unique, tailored approach to safety and operations.

How can private schools leverage technology to enhance their operations and ensure student safety? What role does automation play in this transformation?

Welcome to School Safety Today, a podcast presented by Raptor Technologies. Host Michelle Dawn Mooney looks at the issue of private school operations and student safety with her guest Mark Ruiters, Founder of SchoolPass and Chief Strategy Officer at Raptor Technologies. They discuss private schools’ challenges in ensuring student safety and optimizing campus operations and how technology can help overcome these barriers.

During Mooney and Ruiters’ conversation they cover the following:

  • The inception of SchoolPass: Mark’s journey from being a parent to becoming the founder of SchoolPass.
  • The challenges private schools face: The unique operational and safety challenges they encounter and how technology can help address them.
  • The impact of automation: How automation can enhance safety, improve efficiency, and increase parent satisfaction.

Mark Ruiters, born and raised in South Africa, has been in enterprise software for over 30 years. His journey with SchoolPass began when the principal at his children’s elementary school in Maryland asked him to help automate notifying teachers when a parent arrived on campus. Leveraging his system architecture experience at IBM, Ruiters designed SchoolPass to automate campus movement, enhancing safety and efficiency. Over the years, SchoolPass has added modules to streamline school operations further.

Ruiters’ vision for the future of private school management involves accelerating the adoption of campus automation. Ruiter believes that the recent acquisition of SchoolPass by Raptor Technologies will help speed up this process, ultimately making K-12 private school campuses safer and more efficient.

Recent Episodes

As AI, automation, and immersive tech accelerate disruption, the future of work is being reshaped faster than most institutions can adapt. Entry-level roles for recent graduates are shrinking, traditional degrees are being questioned, and lifelong careers are being replaced by continuous reinvention. In this climate, the most valuable assets are no longer technical certifications…

Today’s workforce is facing profound disruption, driven by automation, AI, and shrinking entry-level job opportunities. According to SignalFire’s 2025 State of Talent report, entry-level hiring in tech has dropped by 50% from pre-pandemic levels. In this shifting landscape, younger workers aren’t just seeking jobs—they’re demanding agency, feedback, and purpose. Game-based learning models like the…

As traditional career paths break down, economic mobility is being redefined by adaptability, not academic credentials. Today, 52% of college graduates are underemployed a year after graduation, working in roles that don’t require a four-year degree. Meanwhile, networking strategies like informational interviews yield one job offer per 12 conversations—far more effective than the one-in-200…