Lightspeed Introduces Multifunctional Audio Platform Cascadia

Instructional audio company Lightspeed has announced Cascadia, a networked audio platform for K–12 schools. The new platform allows easy projection of the teacher's voice as well as instant communication outside the classroom and help in an emergency.

The teacher wears the device on a lanyard, and the platform projects low-volume, clear sound regardless of a student's location in the room, the company said.

It also integrates with a school's existing safety and communication systems, such as paging, intercom, and the phone system. Teachers can make two-way calls to the office from anywhere in a building and also initiate silent, mobile, emergency alerts. The platform connects not only to the school's front office, but initiates an alert in the Cascadia web console showing location and type of emergency, thus affording centralized control.

Other features include:

  • Teacher location in real-time during an active alert;
  • Power over Ethernet Plus (PoE+) for network infrastructure;
  • Network with other classroom media (laptops, interactive displays, assisted-listening devices, and distance learning setups); and
  • Sharemike to permit student sharing.

"The need for teachers to communicate with resources outside of the classroom continues to grow, whether in an emergency or simply when help is needed," said Shaun Fagan, Lightspeed's senior vice president. "With Cascadia, schools can now meet this need by providing teachers with a communication tool that offers mobility, simplicity, and immediacy."

For more information, visit the Cascadia product page.

Visit the product support page to download the data sheet, installation guide, and quick start guide.

About the Author

Kate Lucariello is a former newspaper editor, EAST Lab high school teacher and college English teacher.

Featured

  • Abstract AI circuit board pattern

    Nonprofit LawZero to Work Toward Safer, Truthful AI

    Turing Award-winning AI researcher Yoshua Bengio has launched LawZero, a nonprofit aimed at developing AI systems that prioritize safety and truthfulness over autonomy.

  • abstract pattern of cybersecurity, ai and cloud imagery

    Report Identifies Malicious Use of AI in Cloud-Based Cyber Threats

    A recent report from OpenAI identifies the misuse of artificial intelligence in cybercrime, social engineering, and influence operations, particularly those targeting or operating through cloud infrastructure. In "Disrupting Malicious Uses of AI: June 2025," the company outlines how threat actors are weaponizing large language models for malicious ends — and how OpenAI is pushing back.

  • tutor and student working together at a laptop

    You've Paid for Tutoring. Here's How to Make Sure It Works.

    As districts and states nationwide invest in tutoring, it remains one of the best tools in our educational toolkit, yielding positive impacts on student learning at scale. But to maximize return on investment, both financially and academically, we must focus on improving implementation.

  • red brick school building with a large yellow "AI" sign above its main entrance

    New National Academy for AI Instruction to Provide Free AI Training for Educators

    In an effort to "transform how artificial intelligence is taught and integrated into classrooms across the United States," the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), in partnership with Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic, and the United Federation of Teachers, is launching the National Academy for AI Instruction, a $23 million initiative that will provide access to free AI training and curriculum for all AFT members, beginning with K-12 educators.