Essential Tips to Enhance Physical Security at School

Schools must be a safe haven where children, teachers and staff feel secure and protected. Parents must feel at ease when they drop their children at school. Some of the most common safety issues a lot of schools’ experience are inadequate supervision of students, building access control, and inadequate emergency communication. When any of these are overlooked, it can lead to unwanted incidents.

To enhance school security, it is critical to use security technology to promote safety and management of the school. Here are some practical safety tips to ensure the school is well protected against the challenges of today –

• Conduct a Security Audit – An effective security plan begins with a thorough understanding of the vulnerabilities that lie on the school campus. Take a step back and identify the potential threats, assess the existing safeguards, review the building layout and determine access needed by different groups. You also need to ensure your school complies with the local health laws, building regulations and fire codes.
• Focus on Securing the Perimeter – The least that you need to do is check the security around the school perimeter. Take a walk around the boundary and identify any weak spots that intruders can breach easily. Security fencing is a simple yet effective way of keeping everyone in the school safe. They not only keep intruders away but also prevent students from wandering or being lured off the school property.
• Restrict Unauthorized Persons from Accessing the School – Apart from having CCTV installed around the school, you also need to use access control technology to restrict who can enter the school building and even specific rooms around the school. You can set permissions at individual or group levels to specific areas and even keep a record of any entry history that can be used later.
• Have a Strong Authorization Process – Allowing anyone to just walk into the school or go as they please without any tracking system can be quite dangerous. Thus, having a robust authorization process will ensure that anyone who walks into the school can be easily identified, tracked and then monitored for the safety of everyone in school.
• Check Security Equipment are Working Properly – If you already have security equipment installed, including fencing, CCTV and card readers, verify that they are functioning as intended. You can even opt for maintenance packages where the service providers come onsite monthly or quarterly to ensure everything is working properly.
• Select Security Suppliers Carefully – When picking security suppliers, ensure they are reputed, have a good history and are accredited by professional bodies. The supplier you pick should have enough high-quality security products so they can offer multiple solutions according to your needs. They should also offer prompt and appropriate support services when needed.

School security is an ever-changing process that needs constant attention. You will always have new students, new faculty and new situations arising from time to time. It is important to brainstorm changes to fix any issues with the security protocols, so you are well prepared and protected in case of threat or emergency.