{"id":738,"date":"2019-03-04T16:38:24","date_gmt":"2019-03-04T16:38:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.besafe.net\/?p=738"},"modified":"2023-06-07T08:35:53","modified_gmt":"2023-06-07T08:35:53","slug":"improve-school-safety-according-to-us-secret-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.besafe.net\/news\/improve-school-safety-according-to-us-secret-service\/","title":{"rendered":"How We Can Make Schools Safer — According to the U.S. Secret Service"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe title=\"\ud83d\udd75\ufe0f\u200d\u2642\ufe0f 3 Things To Make Schools Safer According to the U.S. Secret Service\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GhRUF11F7Jo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When I think back to my time in school, my biggest worry for the day was usually recess-related. Will today be the day that I beat my personal record for largest snowman? Will my friends and I run fast enough across the playground to lay claim to the monkey bars and swings? <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I certainly never wondered if today would be the day someone walked in with a gun.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unfortunately times have changed, and school safety is now a real worry for millions of students and teachers. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.besafe.net\/news\/houston-schools-deploying-iot-enabled-building-safety-platform-to-improve-emergency-responses\/\">Schools have changed as well over the years, taking measures to make their buildings safe and secure.<\/a> The <\/span><b>United States Secret Service, FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have all issued reports outlining a range of security suggestions for schools and campuses. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the next few articles, we’ll be taking a look at these suggestions and how facilities can implement them.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Sometimes the best methods are the simplest.<\/b><\/h3>\n<h2><b>1) Controlling entrance to the building<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-4640\" src=\"https:\/\/www.besafe.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/high_school_exterior.jpg\" alt=\"school safety secret service\" width=\"900\" height=\"599\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.besafe.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/high_school_exterior.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.besafe.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/high_school_exterior-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.besafe.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/high_school_exterior-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.besafe.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/high_school_exterior-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many schools have limited entrance to just one or two doors. This makes it easier to track who is coming in or out. In conjunction with this, the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) <\/span><b><i>K-12 School Security: A Guide for Preventing and Protecting Against Gun Violence<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> suggests a Visitor Management System: <\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“A visitor management system is capable of screening visitors using a government- or school-issued ID.The system will then search against databases designated by the school (e.g., sex offender lists, banned visitors) for any concerns in the visitor\u2019s background. If the visitor passes the system\u2019s screening, it will print a badge for him\/her to wear while at the school.”<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another school safety measure that can be used:<\/span><b> turnstiles<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Turnstiles require authenticated credentials to allow access to a facility. They can be integrated with access control systems and monitoring software… (or) biometric technologies (facial or fingerprint recognition). Schools could employ turnstiles to grant (or deny) access and track who is in the building at any given time.”<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These measures increase the chances of keeping out unwanted guests. But aside from the main entrances, what else can be done?<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>2) Hardening the classroom<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-4641\" src=\"https:\/\/www.besafe.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/kansai_university.jpg\" alt=\"school safety security besafe\" width=\"900\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.besafe.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/kansai_university.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.besafe.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/kansai_university-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.besafe.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/kansai_university-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.besafe.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/kansai_university-600x450.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You may have heard of fabricated reading corners that double as bulletproof shelters. But are there simpler means to making a classroom more secure?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How about <\/span><b>door locks<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While schools generally lock their exterior doors, many facilities across\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the U.S. (about 34% according to the National Center for Educational Statistics) do not have locks on their individual classroom doors. Per the<\/span><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"> DHS Guide<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“In accordance with recommendations from the Sandy Hook Advisory Commission and The National Association of State Fire Marshals, all classroom and office\u00a0<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">doors should be equipped with locks that can be secured from inside the room.”<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Having doors that can be locked from the inside <\/span><b>slows down any attackers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, makes it <\/span><b>much more difficult for them to enter<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and greatly increases the time for students to take cover inside the room. They even have<a href=\"https:\/\/campuslifesecurity.com\/articles\/2019\/03\/18\/california-school-board-approves-automatic-door-locking-system.aspx\"> locks that can be engaged via panic button or remote, so no one is put in harm’s way<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For schools that don’t have lockable doors, a range of <\/span><b>door blockers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are available that are affordable, easily installed, and easy to operate for adults and kids.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Windows are not to be overlooked. While they provide an area of observation, they can also become a liability. An attacker can easily break a window and enter the school.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Window glazing can\u00a0 help. It’s applied to existing glass<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and helps in two ways: <\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It enables occupants to see <\/span><b>out<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but doesn’t allow anyone to see<\/span><b> in.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It strengthens the windows, making it more difficult for attackers to break them.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Physical tools like these help to secure a school, and make it safer for those inside. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Up next: How can advancements in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.besafe.net\/activeshield-building-safety-platform\/\"><b>technology<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>artificial intelligence <\/b>enhance <\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">school safety? And what steps can be taken by both students and faculty members alike to <\/span><b>prevent an attack from being attempted in the first place<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">? <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When I think back to my time in school, my biggest worry for the day was usually recess-related. Will today be the day that I beat my personal record for largest snowman? Will my friends and I run fast enough across the playground to lay claim to the monkey bars and swings? I certainly never [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":752,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,9],"tags":[11,12,30,16,19,15,18,17,13],"class_list":["post-738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-news","category-school-safety","tag-dhs","tag-fbi","tag-federal-commission","tag-gun-violence","tag-school","tag-school-safety","tag-school-security","tag-security","tag-usa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.besafe.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.besafe.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.besafe.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.besafe.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.besafe.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=738"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.besafe.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/738\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.besafe.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.besafe.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.besafe.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.besafe.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}