Case Study: La Cañada Unified School District strengthens school safety with Verkada

How a Top 1% California School District Adopts a Multi-Layered Security Strategy with Verkada

La Cañada Unified School District, a top-performing California district serving about 4,000 students, needed a stronger, more coordinated approach to school safety after Parkland prompted a districtwide review of vulnerabilities. Working with Verkada, the district set out to address challenges around campus entry, visitor management, emergency communication, student wellness, and overall physical security.

Verkada implemented a multi-layered security strategy using Intercom, Cameras, Access Control, Alarms, Guest, Air Quality Sensors, and the Command platform. The district reported rapid deployment, with Verkada Intercom installed in under an hour, devices configured in 10 minutes, and no NVRs or receiver stations required. With Verkada, staff gained a single cloud-based system for monitoring entrances, responding to threats, managing visitors, detecting environmental issues, and supporting lockdown workflows, while also improving privacy controls and reducing the need for onsite guards.

La Cañada Unified School District

Jamie Lee Lewsadder

Associate Superintendent of Technology Services,