Page 91 - Security Today, September/October 2022

"The age of the open campus has come and gone. Sadly, we have returned to the principles learned in the days of castles: the use of moats, drawbridges and alligators."
(think entry and dismissal times) or the perimeter opens into a locked vestibule. Certain buildings like libraries and athletic facilities face greater challenges. We are seeing the introduction of new scanning technology to allow groups to enter spaces, as opposed to individual screening.
New campuses designed with electronic security are incorporating individual space as well as building-wide lockdown technology. These powerful solutions can effectively protect students and personnel, providing a safe space during the precious moments before police arrive. The best solutions enable security officers and administrators, as well as those within individual rooms, to enact a lockdown. Generally, those in a room are only capable of securing the doors to their room, not the full school.
By Mark J. Berger
Existing buildings and the K–12 environment are more likely to rely upon mechanical locking solutions to create individual safe havens. Empowering anyone in the room to enact a lockdown quickly and in a code-compliant manner (which never traps anyone in the room) is the basic level of protection expected by parents for their children. The ability to quickly block visible access to rooms through roll-down shades is very important to avoid detection by an active shooter. The reliance upon only one person in the room to secure the door (i.e., a teacher) can lead to delays in locking—or not locking the door at all—with disastrous results.
Changes in Lock Functions
This is a large change since the early days of classroom locking. Most schools were constructed with locks employing the
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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 | campuslifesecurity.com 31