In recent years we have seen some pretty horrific things happen on school property. Not everything can be prevented but we can most certainly do as much as we can to deter, detect and defend against these awful crimes.

Schools by their very nature are open environments. It’s a challenge to strike the right balance between maintaining a welcoming and open environment, and protecting the student, teachers and staff, while controlling visitor access. Offering a high level of security with a certain level of convenience can bring peace of mind. 

There are some unique challenges facing schools today:

• Not everyone needs or should have access to every part of the building.
• Visitors come and go all day long, parents pick up sick kids, volunteers check in and contractors are hired for projects that can’t necessarily wait until the end of the day.
• Some modern security threats include gun violence and terrorism.
• Extremely large multi building campus, making them hard to manage.

Securing classrooms, hallways and campuses:

• Go key-less for teachers and staff
  • By using a school access control system, teachers and staff can use a single card as an ID badge and a keyless entry card. Administrators can control when doors can be opened and by whom. Cards can also be disabled quickly when lost.
• Manage visitors better with sign in, custodial and sex offender checks
  • Using a visitor management system with the ability to store custodial information ensures a child is only released to the proper guardian.  It also allows you to check visitors against local sex offender databases, providing increased safety.
• Manage a multi-building system from a single location
  • Remotely managing every door in every building gives the administrator the ability to open any classroom door.  Decreased response times and false alarms by allowing you to quickly assess the situation.
• Integrate your access control system with video surveillance
  • Integrating access control and video surveillance can create a powerful, multi-faceted security solution. Your video surveillance system can be set up to record a door every time a card is swiped, giving a visual of who has entered with a time stamp.
• Zero in on the source of an issue quickly
  • Many schools have sprawling campuses with the struggle to zero in on a problem. When an alarm is triggered the exact location will show up on the Dynamic Map of the facility. You can pull up video surveillance of the exact spot, in order to confirm or dismiss an issue.
• Lockdown the entire school with the press of a button
  • Many schools already have lock down procedures in place that require teachers and staff to lock doors manually. School access control systems can lock down an entire building or campus with the press of a button or by using a specific card at any reader. This creates an instant secure environment.
  • Classroom panic notification allows a teacher to push a button to notify the predefined personnel, such as the security staff or principal that there is an incident outside the classroom.
• Create a more secure vestibule
  • Vestibules are used as a buffer between visitors and the school. Installing shatter resistant security glass laminates on glass doors and windows in the vestibule can be a cost efficient way to prevent visitors with malicious intent from gaining access quickly by smashing windows and walking right into the main area of the building.

Today, teachers and students have a fear of school shooting, violent intruders and terrorism. Many schools are doing much better securing the perimeter of their schools. We are seeing main entrance doors locked and monitored by staff members using intercoms to communicate with visitors.  Increased security throughout the school along with solid security procedures are making a difference when it comes to deterring, detecting and defending against school crimes.

By investing in the district, not each school individually you can create a uniform level of security for all schools, lower capital costs and lower staffing requirements because staff can centrally view and manage the system from anywhere.

Call One Source Security today for your FREE assessment of your school. Remember your ‘One Source for Peace of Mind’ is only one phone call away, 800-570-6478.