Protecting school environments: Connecting administrators and security systems

A major challenge facing school administrators thinking about security is finding the right information how to do so. Schools typically have limited budgets and usually don’t have dedicated resources for security systems management, therefore they need cost-effective solutions that are easy to install, use and maintain.

Where to begin?
The first steps in setting a security plan and choosing the right systems is mapping and understanding the threats and needs. “We suggest that first you conduct a threat assessment, look at the data, what kind of incidents happen in the area, city, state etc. then you can focus on specific issues based upon the local conditions,” explained Jim Crumbley, President and CEO of Risk Response Team who also serves as Vice Chairman of the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS) in the U.S. PASS was formed out of the collaboration of the Security Industry Association (SIA) and the National Systems Contractors Association (NSCA). The goal was to create an entity that would help schools and their integrators implement the most appropriate and effective security technologies.

PASS recommends a ‘tiered’ approach to security. These are recommendations describing solutions for various physical and technological “layers” in a school. Within each layer, the recommendations are divided into TIERS, progressing from TIER 1, which provides a good baseline level for security, to TIER 4, which includes the most aggressive approaches to securing a facility.

“The tiers give you options even for a limited budget – the first step is securing the doors properly, depending on needs and budget the school can scale up even to an enterprise grade VMS if needed,” explained Crumbley.

Making Use of Legacy Systems
As budget is a serious constraint for schools. Making sure that legacy systems are utilized to their full is a wise advice. “Therefore a cost conscious approach also looks to be able to leverage as much of the schools existing investment and infrastructure as possible,” said Jenny Månsson, Director Industry Segments at Axis Communications.

Schools can preserve their existing investments in older analog systems and still migrate to more modern IP based systems through the use of encoders, which will allow the integration of IP cameras into existing systems.

Uses Beyond Security
A way for schools to make the most out of their security systems is making them ‘dual-use’ systems. Offering the school and even parents uses beyond security, IP cameras can be used to give parents the option to see how their children interact in class and also give school administrators the option to monitor and audit a class remotely, without having their presence in the class influence the regular way the lesson is held.

Resistance to Security Systems
Despite their obvious importance, security systems, especially card-based ones, encounter resistance from parents and school boards citing concerns over data security and the creation of a “big-brother” security system. Parents fear that the information stored in school systems might be breached and fall into the wrong hands.

Mobile Clients
Schools are dynamic environments, students and faculty move between classrooms, parents pick-up and drop off their kids, children engage in outdoor sports activities etc. School administrators and security personnel also move around the school and therefore need a mobile solution. “The biggest feature that people want is mobility – access from a phone or a tablet. For example during off-school hours there is a need to be mobile, whether on the football field or in the parking lot,” said Brett St. Pierre, Director of Education Solutions at HID Global.

Mobile Panic Buttons
As part of their security policy schools rely on students and staff to report any suspicious incidents or people. Fixed security systems have a major disadvantage in the coverage of open areas and securing people moving through them. Schools and university campuses have many open areas where traditional solutions like the deployment of fixed duress buttons and video surveillance is not always practical. One option to overcome this obstacle is leveraging the popularity of smart phones and use apps as “mobile panic buttons”.

The buttons are carried by teachers in the school and are connected over a wireless network to the school’s different security systems. The system is an open system and can easily scale up and integrate with other systems according to the specific school’s needs. These could be public announcement systems, video management systems (VMS), access control systems, or even the school email system to send an email in case of an event.

Safety for Children is Priority
Schools have a commitment to ensure our children’s safety and well-being. Even though the chances for a catastrophe such as an active shooter are very low, we must still find ways to protect children. A tiered approach, combining both technology and each school’s specific conditions is the best way to do so.