Buildings and campuses are generally designed to be open and accessible. At the same time, every school considers security to protect its students and faculty on some level, for both emergencies and everyday administration. Today, disasters, shooters and terrorism push us to ask new questions of our buildings: how will we lock it down? Will doors open from the outside … Read More
Attack Resistant Doors and Glass
There are a number of specialized products designed to protect buildings like schools. One example is called “School Guard Glass”. Most schools have doors with windows fitted into them in the upper half of the door frame, where passersby can see into the classroom. The standard glass can be a vulnerability in an attack, even if the door is locked. The … Read More
Defending Your School: “Target Hardening”
This is a continuation of the discussion about the Public Safety Commission’s findings in their investigation of the tragedy in Parkland, Florida. Read more about those findings in our last blog installment: What Can We Learn From Parkland? Target Hardening and Why It’s Important In the investigation following the Parkland shooting, one of the Public Safety Commission’s recommendations included “target hardening”. In essence, … Read More
What Can We Learn From Parkland?
The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission followed up their draft report with a 458 page assessment of its investigation surrounding the shooting incident in Parkland, FL. This most recent report details a litany of system, security and performance failures which contributed to the deaths of 17 students and staff in early 2018. These failures include breaches in school security, … Read More
Commission’s Recommendations for School Safety
MSD Public Safety Commission The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission was formed after the school shooting tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School earlier this year. The panel is tasked to investigate system failures, analyze information and evidence from the school shooting incident and provide a comprehensive report to address issues and develop recommendations for system improvements. … Read More
Funding Resources for School Security
School districts are primarily challenged with implementing needed security measures in K-12 schools with a lack of resources available. While each school’s needs vary, there are security infrastructure improvements available that are budget conscious and effective. Simply retrofitting existing doors and hardware in a more defensible way can be done with limited resources. Security enhancement of existing components can be … Read More