Page 62 - Security Today, May/June 2024

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY
HOW SCHOOL SECURITY CONTINUES TO ADVANCE
AUTHOR
GUY GRACE IS K-12 NATIONAL SECURITY PROGRAM MANAGER, ASSA ABLOY DOOR SECURITY SOLUTIONS
IMAGE
FGRISPB/STOCK.ADOBE.COM
or more than 30 years, I’ve been
fully immersed in security opera- tions in K-12 schools, including working in school safety in Littleton, Colorado during the attack at Columbine High School in 1999.
That incident, coupled with those be- fore and since, underscores the critical need for continued improvement in safety and security measures in our schools. Thankfully, ongoing advancements in security tech- nology enable prompt response to critical threats as well as daily operational efficiency.
Implementation of life safety technol- ogy in K-12 schools starts with the foundation of sound access control measures. Other security components, including human roles and processes, will not work without appropriate access control components. One such measure is key management. Keys are a fundamental component of access con- trol, and when not managed properly, they can create a vulnerability in facility security.
When I first started in school security in the late 1980s and early 90s, the process of managing keys would seem haphaz- ard in today’s climate. One person would oversee checking keys in and out and re- cord it manually in a logbook. That system
was vulnerable to inconsisten- cies in reporting and ultimately susceptible to lost and stolen keys. Several times, law en- forcement and
I apprehended burglars who stole keys, including one instance where a set of keys had been stolen three years prior and had been passed to several people until it finally ended up in the burglar’s hands.
Like any organization that invites peo- ple onto its property, schools must provide a reasonable level of security, safety, and emergency preparedness to mitigate risks. This is multifaceted, and the leading practice in K-12 is creating district safety teams that should include key stakeholders from within the district and from the community, such as law enforcement, fire, and other partners.
These teams should engage in can- did discussions about where a school sys- tem’s vulnerabilities are and make sure they’re taking proactive steps to remedy those weaknesses. Here’s a stat that illus- trates just one example: only one out of every four classrooms can be locked from the inside. There are myriad reasons why, but ultimately, school security teams are
responsible for identifying these issues and developing a plan to address them.
Controlling access to school prop- erty, buildings, and classrooms is a foun- dational component of comprehensive security. Mechanical locks form the base for any access control system, but there are other critical elements to consider. Many schools and districts have invested in electronic access control features that allow for enhanced security. Modern ac- cess control systems and procedures offer an effective solution to prevent unauthor- ized intruders from accessing a building.
Key management is also an important part of these discussions. Critical consid- erations include how many keys/fobs are needed, what they can access, and how many people should be allowed to check them out. It’s also essential to have keys or- ganized and ready for response during and directly following an emergency. Emergency response plans should always include a plan
ELECTRONIC KEY CABINETS ARE A LEADING PRACTICE TO HELP SCHOOLS TO CONTROL ACCESS TO SCHOOLS. THE APPLICATIONS ARE MULTI-FACETED, STARTING WITH INTERNAL OPERATIONS.
“”
18