School administrators are not merely tasked with the efficient education of children, but with keeping students, teachers, and staff safe. A nurturing environment is crucial to educational success, and this includes helping all members of the educational community feel safe.
When students feel unsafe, they may participate less in classes and activities, be distressed, and develop emotional issues; at the same time, to promote an atmosphere conducive to learning, administrators must avoid an overly authoritarian (or even prison-like) environment.
The best security strategies will focus on measured solutions, to keep those inside the school safe while avoiding any sense of heightened threat or cause for alarm.
Finding School Security Solutions
An increase in school security cannot be limited to creating more entry barriers. School security in general will require physical solutions, together with methods for preventing other kinds of potential threats; new technology contributes significantly to this aim.
Technological Access Control
Schools are challenged to create a welcoming atmosphere while guaranteeing security. Relying on locking school doors is no longer feasible, as the primary security solution cannot resolve the need to eliminate other threat vectors.
The installation of smart locks (also increasingly common in smart home security) that prevent unauthorized entries – while permitting easy exits in the event of an emergency is crucial – but alone, they, too, remain insufficient.
A modern access control system, programmed to permit students, staff, parents, visitors, and deliveries onto school property, should be controlled and monitored through the school reception or by security personnel; via this approach, whomever enters, when they enter, and why they enter, will be monitored.
Exits also need to be registered so that administrators know if someone is still on the premises. To facilitate registered exits, guests can be asked to leave an ID or car keys with the reception while in the building or on the school grounds.
Defined procedures for escorting guests need to be in place; schools can introduce key cards, fobs, or badges for visitors that will grant access to a specific area. The use of visible badges with a barcode is particularly effective, because they not only guarantee that visitors are recognizable to staff and teachers, but that their barcode credentials can be scanned anywhere, at any time, for validation.
The use of an electronic access control system and software not only facilitates control, but permits administrators to revoke electronic credentials in seconds, should the need arise. Smart school access systems also offer the possibility to cross-reference identities with sex offender registries or others in real-time to prevent undesirable people from entering.
Security Video Monitoring
Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash
Physical monitoring can no longer be completely entrusted to administrators or security personnel alone; technological advances now offer greater monitoring capabilities, with parking lot surveillance cameras or CCTVs integrated as standard security equipment.
School security cameras can be used in access control management and not only can support recognition purposes, but offer early detection of suspicious objects, movements, or gestures when paired with AI software.
Schools serving large numbers of students and staff also feature congregation points including cafeterias, libraries, hallways, or gymnasiums; traffic flow featuring large numbers of people require advanced security capabilities.
New technology also allows for the integration of video monitoring into a single interface remotely controlled. These systems support alert messaging, panic buttons, and direct contact with law enforcement and first emergency responders; they record and log the times of entrances and exits from school premises, as well as the scanning of visitor identification.
Alarm and Lockdown Systems
An integrated IoT-connected alarm system assists flexible, rapid responses to potential threats. Security systems can trigger an automated lockdown while administrators manage entrance and exit points, together with inner passages and doors, to prevent or limit the danger. Ideally, a lock-down system will partner with local authorities and emergency responders triggering immediate intervention. All authorized personnel will have facilitated access to a locked-down facility thanks to digital ID scanning.
Photo by Marcel Eberle on Unsplash
Mobile panic buttons worn by staff or teachers can be used or panic alarms can be installed in specific locations. In the event of an emergency, a staff member or teacher can push the button to alert administrators and security that there is a problem; some panic buttons are equipped with microphones and amplification to be operated as a temporary alert and announcement system.
Metal Detectors and Gunshot Detection
The increase of weapons entering school campuses can warrant the use of metal detectors at entrance points; these machines prevent weapons from entering and function as a deterrent, and gunshot detection systems alert law enforcement, should gunfire be detected. This technology can also isolate the location of gunfire noise and inform where the noise is being produced.
Boosting School Campus Security and Safety
Learning environments are expected to be safe and secure. Still, violent events have tarnished the learning experience and have sadly increased, creating a need for better security protocols. Traditional methods are no longer adequate; new security technology can offer threat prevention together with prompt emergency responses when necessary.