Page 76 - Security Today, July/August 2024

COVER STORY: ACCESS CONTROL
BACK TO SCHOOL PLANNING
IS A YEAR-ROUND COMMITMENT
HERE’S HOW SOME K-12 DISTRICTS AND CAMPUSES ARE CONTINUING TO IMPROVE SECURITY
AUTHOR: JEREMY SALINE IS SR. DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AT ASSA ABLOY DOOR SECURITY SOLUTIONS. IMAGES: ABOVE: STOCK.ADOBE.COM/RAWPIXEL.COM, PAGE 10: COURTESY OF ASSA ABLOY DOOR SECURITY SOLUTIONS
W ith summer underway, K-12 and college students, faculty, and staff are taking a well-earned break to recharge and gear up for the fall. It’s also the sea- son when security professionals can get in and get busy installing upgrades and retrofits before the new school year starts. It’s a brief window, but, thanks to diligent planning throughout the year, the pros are always ready to hit the ground running at the last bell of spring term to make
the most out of the limited time available.
A lot goes into studying what to do and where to allocate
budgets for improving security at today’s schools. Naturally, no one size fits all. For this article, though, we’ll highlight some things K-12 districts, higher ed institutions, professional organizations, and the
security industry are focusing on to improve the safety of campuses and the well-being of those attending, teaching, and supporting them.
PASS K-12 GUIDELINE UPDATES
For those involved with K-12, expect revisions soon to the current Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS) Guidelines. If you’re not familiar with this important organization and their free publica- tions, visit passk12.org to learn more about them.
The guidelines are structured to cover five physical layers of school facility security, from the district-wide level all the way to the classroom/ interior perimeter. Each layer outlines basic protective components of security, including procedures, access control, and much more.
Generally, each best practice recommendation corresponds
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