Do you provide
maintenance?
The only maintenance that should be required is an
occasional outside cleaning and replacing a burnt
out low voltage bulb infrequently. How
much warranty do you provide?
The warranty on the light is Three Years Limited.
There is no extra charge for a "maintenance contract"
or for return freight under a maintenance contract,
a hidden and continued cost to the school. In case
of a problem with the Light just call for an RA
to School Specialty Inc.
Why does the light
respond to peaks such as a dropped lunchroom tray
or a student shouting?
As we understand lunchroom control, ignoring such
incidents would just encourage a further lack of
discipline. We believe you are supposed to be trying
to control the overall level of sound and the instances
of abrupt and inappropriate student behavior. Our
Light is designed to moderate isolated instances
of "peak" sound and has an internal switch to select
the best Light response behavior to fit your school's
needs.
This Light was the first to market in many years,
designed and built by a long time school supplier.
Why are there now copies with a short warranty
and dangerous high voltage accessible to students?
Like any successful product, there will be copies
by people who want a short term gain from the
school
market. Parts of School Specialty have been in
business for over 80 years and School Specialty has close to $1billion overall
in annual sales. School Specialty will be here
for service and advice when and if you need them,
with over 600 direct representatives in the U.S.
Are there schools we
can contact to verify their experiences with the
Light?
There are schools with the Light in the majority
of the states. Contact your School Specialty representative
for a list of schools nearby.
Why does it have three
circuit breakers instead of a cheap fuse?
The
SS light uses all low voltage 12 Volts DC lamps
and circuitry
which is much safer.
The three circuit breakers protect the light, the
environment and the personnel who care for it.
To
omit them and cheapen the construction we believe
would be irresponsible.
News Story
"It's
amazing, and when you talk to children today, you'll
see the difference it's made and they're happier,"
says ... principal. Teachers are taking advantage
of the lunchroom turning it into a classroom for
better behavior worthy of a restaurant. Principal
... calls the cafeteria "... Diner". The children
self monitor their behavior, a traffic light signals
them when they are getting too loud. Just like in
the real world yellow means slow down and red means
stop. The kids say they're learning manners and
how to eat right. If more kids don't learn this
simple lesson, experts say, half our nation's children
will be obese by 2030."
A Question of Value
"Our school is considering
your traffic light audio monitor. However, with
the ?? selling at $40, we need to understand why
yours is hundreds of dollars more expensive before
we decide which one to purchase. Can you explain
- in laymen's terms, please. Thanks."
In some ways your inquiry is impossible to answer
because occasionally someone does report that
they
were able to use the $40 light to do the job, but
it is a very rare occurrence. What we have
found is that if the Chinese $40 light
(which is officially classified as a "toy") does
NOT work, then the installation of a light like
ours will not work out either, since the $40
light is ignored and abused
so the students try mightily to do the same thing
with the correct unit like ours, and they often
succeed.
So in a way, there is really only one opportunity
to impose discipline using a light, and if it does
not go well because we all like to save $'s, then
the chance to do it at all is lost.
There are other differences of course, or we would
not be selling hundreds of our correct traffic
light
audio monitor. The warranty is three years versus
90 days. (However, discarding a $40 light after
a few
months might not be considered a big expense.)
Our
light has additional adjustments and a great deal
of electronic circuitry to help it succeed, plus
the traffic housing itself is a $225 item. This
was done to be impressive and highly visible for
the students and to present a professional look
and also to help it last for 20 years,
which it probably will, based on our experience
with similar products we have. Based on even a
fifteen year life, the cost per year is more
in
the $40 class. And the $40 light can fail any time
it is hit with something like a basketball. Ours
is pretty much immune to such tactics to make it
fail. We have had some fairly poor districts
do a lot of fundraising to pay for a light and
in almost
all cases they report that it was worth the effort
to purchase the correct traffic light audio monitor.
In
the final analysis, of course, the choice to invest
or not is up to you. We do know that the children
will benefit over their lifetimes from a closer
adherence to the OSHA hearing guidelines and avoid
premature deafness.
We
often forget also the cafeteria and maintenance
personnel and administration and teacher personnel
whose hearing and demeanor is also affected by a
noise level that is not only annoying but may be damaging also. Ultimately we suspect that workmen's
compensation and private insurance companies will
take a closer look at excessive noise levels in
common areas like cafeterias. So
this traffic light audio monitor can be a good preventative
measure.
Please
email us if you have additional questions.
Other Comments
Lost Opportunity - Dollars were not saved afterall
"...
had a 750-dollar light in mind, one that would be
heard in a gym or cafeteria. ... gave the go to
buy it, but when student council voted they firmly
stated NO. Knowing that buying the traffic light
without the student's consent would be defeating
the purpose of the council, ... decided to purchase
a less expensive light. This light, at $40, was
inexpensive and would "test" their idea for a bigger
and better light. After being up for a very short
time, the light will be coming down.
"...
admitted in an interview: As soon as we got it,
we knew it wouldn't work. It has been decided that
the light is for the size of a classroom and can't
be heard in the cafeteria. Furthermore the light
has provoked students to yell at it and set it off.
We are tired of students setting off the light,
teachers have turned it off during lunch ...."
A Success Story - Being Fair
"My elementary school implemented a neat idea to
control the noise level (in a way that would teach
kids what an acceptable noise level was). They just
bought a real traffic light (which are huge when
you see them up close), installed it in the lunchroom
to be in view of every kid, and put someone in charge
of it during lunchtime every day. When it's green,
all's okay. A yellow light is a warning to the kids
that the noise level is getting too high. Red means
everybody shut up for a moment and take a breather.
Teaches 'em the proper noise level, and teaches
'em the concept of go, slow down, and stop with
traffic lights. What's more, it's not teachers singling
out certain kids for too much noise, but a warning
to all. I thought it was cool, and the kids did
too."
USING JUNEBOX
- To
find our products on Junebox go to Junebox.com.
-
Select "Browse". There is no need to
register at this time.
- Select
"School Specialty Store.” Go to the
Search box at the top right of the page.
- Click
it and enter "663456" or "TSM100"
or "663457" or "TSMA200" or
"traffic light" or "audio monitor"
or "sound monitor"
or "cafeteria traffic light". This will display the traffic
light audio monitor and you may click on it for
the long explanation and larger picture with pricing.
- The list price
for the TSM100 is $9xx.00 and for the TSMA200
it is $1,0xx.00
- You may request
a quote or bid for exact pricing.
- Remember the traffic
light has a THREE YEAR unlimited warranty at NO
additional charge and it is low voltage for safe
usage.
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