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Board approves $98,330 IP intercom upgrade at North Iredell High for safety, reliability
Summary
The board voted 6–0 to award York Communications a $98,330 contract to replace an aging Valcom intercom at North Iredell High with an IP‑based system, citing repeated storm and lightning damage and safety concerns for lockdown drills.
The Iredell‑Statesville Schools Board of Education approved a $98,330 contract to update the Valcom intercom system at North Iredell High School to an IP‑based system, citing repeated outages and safety concerns at the campus.
District staff told the board the long‑running analog Valcom system is no longer supported and is vulnerable to lightning strikes and storm damage at the North Iredell campus. “When those things happen, it won't be able to spread through the entire school because now it's using the data wires instead of using those copper wires,” a district presenter said, explaining the resilience advantages of an IP‑based system.
The system will replace copper‑wired speakers with data‑networked units and provide a more flexible interface for staff to initiate bells, lockdowns and schedule changes. Staff said the replacement is particularly urgent at North Iredell because the campus has multiple buildings, frequent weather‑related failures and a generator for emergency power; York Communications submitted the low bid and has previous work experience in the district.
Board discussion covered procurement, funding and technical details. Board members confirmed the purchase had been forecast in the capital plan and that the project is funded in the current capital budget. Members asked whether the IP phones would function locally if an external Internet connection failed; staff confirmed the new system will operate on the school's internal network. A board member also asked whether the system will integrate with Verkada (the district's camera system); staff said they were not aware of a direct integration.
The board voted to approve the purchase. The motion was seconded by Board Member Hoke and passed 6–0. Staff said the district will evaluate funding for similar upgrades at other campuses and consider safety grants to offset costs going forward.
No change was made to other existing communications (phones, walkie‑talkies) and staff said the new system is intended to complement those tools and provide faster, systemwide notifications in emergency drills and real events.
