Without a question, the Columbine High School shooting in 1999 forever altered the landscape of school safety. To address the mounting worry, schools around the nation strengthened different security measures. School districts have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to “harden” classrooms against every parent’s worst fear.
Today’s schools face a wide range of concerns, from safety to cyberbullying. With so many difficulties impacting schools, the typical individual may ask why greater security is needed. Here are five reasons why schools should be more secure:
1. Student Security
Schools need increased security to protect pupils from today’s growing safety and security risks. All security measures should aim to keep students safe. School security methods that adhere to this concept will keep children safe while also resulting in safer and more resilient schools. Here are some examples of excellent school security measures:
Why do we need additional security in schools?
Why do we need additional security in schools? Let’s have a look at the stats. Since 2016 students aged between 12-18 experienced 749,400 victimizations (theft and nonfatal violent victimization) at school and 601,300 victimizations away from school. More security implies fewer occurrences and more opportunities for learning.
During the 2018-2019 school year, schools were subjected to a broad range of various forms of violent incidents:
Different types of violent occurrences in schools
In the 2018-2019 school year, false reports or fake assaults were the most prevalent events, accounting for 18% of all incidents. This only underlines the need for more security because security systems enable schools to detect, deter, and defend against all types of violent incidents.
Why schools need additional security?
Why schools need more security has a lot to do with the new world we have enter. A world where health and safety are paramount. More security is needed in schools so that children are secure from developing dangers and instructors can concentrate on providing educational excellence.
We need stronger security in schools because today’s security and safety issues necessitate an integrated strategy. The bottom line is that if students’ basic safety needs are not met, they are at risk of not feeling comfortable at school and may choose not to attend, or they may remain on edge throughout the day. Promoting school safety opens up room for children to explore, learn, and develop.
At the end of the day, everyone wants their school to be secure, and the good news is that school security technology has grown to be much more responsive.
Students are kept secure by security technology.
Experts recommend that schools use a balanced and rigorous approach to school safety in order to protect pupils from a wide range of hazards and crises. This well-balanced method includes the following components:
2. Employee Security
More security in schools provides a safer environment for teachers. According to a school crime and safety research, 10% of public school teachers reported being threatened with violence by a student at their school, and 6% reported being physically assaulted by a student at their school. Schools that invest in security measures provide their faculty the tools they need to do their jobs.
Faculty have an essential part in the security of a school
As we return to a normal school environment post-pandemic, it is vital that children and staff members feel comfortable as they walk through their school doors each morning. In this dynamic context, new rules will continue to emerge and faculty members will continue to play a vital part in school safety measures.
According to security experts, faculty members should be permitted to engage in exercises, ask questions, and make suggestions based on their experiences. In an emergency, the faculty must be able to confidently lead while being free to make the best options for each scenario.
The Price of School Security
Schools in the United States currently spend an estimated $2.7 billion on security measures ranging from access control to video surveillance and ID badge software. This figure does not include extra dollars spent on school construction and transportation safety.
Nonetheless, the investment is justified since parents’ primary concerns for their children’s schools include providing a safe and secure environment, developing their children’s knowledge and talents, and guaranteeing equal opportunity for all students.
3. Ensure the Peace of Mind of Parents
Parents will have more peace of mind as a consequence of heightened school security. In communities around the nation, school shootings instill anxiety and spark debate over school safety.
Parents routinely write letters to school boards demanding further information and adjustments to their school’s safety measures, security processes, and emergency procedures.
School leaders must be prepared to proactively speak about school safety and nothing sends a greater message than a good security program.
Parents desire adequate school security measures
Schools should be among the safest locations on the planet. They should not give parents pause about their children’s safety since they are institutions committed to their progress. Regrettably, this is not the case. In fact, one out of every three parents in the US is worried about school bullying, and one out of every four is concerned about school violence.
Schools rely on parents to assist with security.
Physical security technology help schools to maintain a strong security presence but it takes a community to safeguard a school. Parents have an important part in a school’s security response. Parents may assist by understanding the school’s emergency protocols and repeating them with their children.
4. Deter Potential Crimes on Campus
More security helps dissuade possible crimes on campus. Schools should actively implement a variety of crime prevention techniques to limit the possibility and impact of criminal behavior on their grounds. These techniques vary from maintenance upgrades, security systems and procedures.
Schools have increased security measures to combat modern-day dangers in an attempt to reduce the possibility of violence. One such approach is to install video surveillance, security software, and other technologies that may be combined to create a holistic safety and security plan.
Should schools have security cameras?
With increased safety and security concerns on school grounds around the nation, schools need security cameras more than ever. Should security cameras be installed in schools? Well, 94% have decided to install security cameras in public spaces and schools as an extra monitoring source and to aid in the prevention of violence.
Many school districts include security cameras into their overall security strategies because they allow them to respond to ongoing threats in an efficient and practical way. Within a short period of time security cameras have become one of the pillars of school safety and security program.
While technology improvements have made security cameras an even more important element of school security, administrators should establish and publicize rules that clarify the purpose of surveillance cameras as well as the limits to their usage.
