How to Keep Your School Secure
April 25th, 2013Security has become a major issue in today’s society. With school tragedy’s such as Columbine High School and Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings which left multiple people dead at the hands of a school intruder. School is supposed to be a safety zone for children to go and where their parents can rest assured that they are taken care of. With this issue on the rise and schools being put in the hot seat, these are suggestions how to keep your school secure.The best start to keeping your school secure is to have a strict code of conduct that outlines appropriate student behavior and consequences for serious actions such as making violent threats or bringing weapons to school. Schools should have a no tolerance policy for these actions and expulsion or other proper action should be taken to prevent the situation from turning into a tragedy. External security is vitally important and the right fencing and gates are of paramount importance.
Once there is a proper code of conduct put into place, the school should create a solid security plan. This plan may include a system for visitors having to use a code to get into the school of are buzzed in at the door. No school is secure when people can just walk in off the street and wonder the halls with nobody knowing.Once visitors are granted access to the school, the school should have a identification verification system. Parents are sent home emergency forms at the beginning of every school year for emergency contacts, people who are not listed, as emergency contacts should be denied access to the school grounds. The school should also have emergency plans to assist in keeping students safe in case of emergencies. Most schools implement hiding in he corner in the case of school shootings without realizing most school shooters attend the school and are aware of where the students are.
Schools should practice their emergency plans and keep everyone informed. When emergencies happen in schools, the parents are always left outside wondering in fear, which can cause dramatic action on their part causing more problems. If parents are aware of the schools procedures they will be more willing to participate and remain calm. By having students practice these plans, they are less likely to panic in an emergency. The final step in keeping your school secure is to keep your safety practices consistent. If a school has a secure lock system, the system should always be used during school hours. Small mistakes are often the main cause of tragedy, by implementing your safety policies on a constant basis, there will be no margin for error. When handling children’s lives, there is no room for error.
These security measures are important to create and follow to avoid tragedy from happening to your school and the students you vow to keep safe. Education is an important part of every child’s life and they should be able to experience it and feel safe while getting it and the parents should rest easy knowing their children are safe.