If you are a parent or someone who is involved in the school system, you probably worry constantly about the safety of the children in your care. Unfortunately, parents and educators alike have to worry a lot about the children that they care for, and many people simply do not know how to handle these types of situations. Fortunately, however, there are ways that parents and educators can work together in order to keep children, as well as school faculty members and those who visit the school for one reason or another, as safe as possible.
Many people did not realize the importance of security systems in schools in the past, but parents and other individuals in various communities have started paying closer attention to school safety and security in recent years. School shootings and other widespread violence has made its way across the country, and this type of violence affects schools at all different grade levels in both the smallest and largest of towns and cities. Therefore, it pays for everyone to take school security very seriously.
Although a lot of people now realize just how important it is to make sure that schools are as safe and secure as possible, a lot of these concerned individuals do not know what to do and often ask, “What is the best security system for a school?”. More and more parents, school faculty members and individuals from various communities are beginning to wonder just what they can do to make a difference and make the schools in their area as safe as possible from violence and crime.
Unfortunately, there is no one good answer as to, “What is the best security system for a school?”. There is truly no fool-proof and surefire way to ensure that violence will not occur in a school, people won’t get hurt and crimes won’t be committed, but this doesn’t mean that people should give up. Taking proactive steps toward implementing proper security measures and making a school as safe as possible can make a major difference in whether the students, teachers and others who go to a school every day are safe or not.
Therefore, it is important for everyone to work together to make sure that schools are as safe as possible, regardless of the areas where they are located, the ages and grade levels of the children who attend the school or how small or large each school is. In the end, it is imperative for every parent, faculty member and member of the community to take every step possible in order to ensure that those who go to a community school every day can feel as safe as possible, even when other tragedies have hit the United States or other areas of the world.
Fortunately, security systems can make a major difference. In fact, all school boards and administrators should consider implementing as many security measures as possible in order to provide their schools with the best possible safety and security; not only is this important for the children who attend these schools on a daily basis, but it is also essential for faculty members, parents, members of the local community and more.
Involves Human Participation
One of the first and most important steps of ensuring that schools are safe is to ensure that as many people are involved as possible. Unfortunately, it is difficult for a few people to make a difference in how schools are ran, especially if they do not have a lot of supporters. This means that you should do what you can to ensure that everyone in your community understands the importance of school safety against violence and other crimes.
Letting people in your community know about the problem will only do so much, however. Therefore, it is important for school systems to involve as much human participation as possible when they are trying to decide, “What is the best security system for a school?”.
For instance, teachers and faculty members should be up-to-date on all of the school’s current policies; this is especially important when it comes to matters of those who can enter and exit the school, who can pick up each child every day, who can come into the school during school hours and how to handle situations when parents want to enter classrooms that they are not authorized to enter.
Human interaction in this matter also includes talking to your children. Although many children are not old enough to understand all of the tragedies that occur in the world on a daily basis, these young adults and children need to know how to be safe. By teaching safety rules and enforcing them and teaching children about various protocols to follow in the event of an emergency, you can help these children get through scary situations. Not only will this help them make it out of the situation alive and well, but it can also make them feel safer and more comfortable in the event of an emergency because they will know what to do and how to handle the situation.
Guards All Entrances and Exits to the School
Keeping an eye on everyone who enters and exits the school during the day is one way to keep children and faculty members alike safe. The best school security systems utilize surveillance cameras as a means of watching these exterior doors, and all doors should be under surveillance, not just the front or main entrances to the school. By making sure that all of these areas are carefully guarded, school officials can help cut down on crime and can hold people accountable for their actions while they are on school property.
Not only should surveillance cameras be used to monitor these entrances and exits, but other safety precautions can be taken as well. For instance, many schools have instituted policies that require that all exterior doors and kept locked during the day while children are in school. This doesn’t mean that no one can gain entrance to the school, however; it simply means that individuals who want to enter the school during the day must gain clearance by a faculty member who is well aware of the rules and regulations of the school and its safety policies. In some cases, a see-through window is used so that school officials can identify the individual before allowing him or her to gain entrance to the school. In other cases, these school employees utilize surveillance cameras and monitors for these purposes. A lot of times, the person who wants to gain entry to the school will have to ring a doorbell to alert school officials that he or she wants to get in; after the faculty member has assessed the situation and potentially asked for identification, he or she can then determine whether or not the person is able to enter the school. This helps cut down on unauthorized people gaining entry to the school, and it makes it easier for school officials to keep track of everyone who has entered the school throughout the day.
Along with using surveillance cameras in order to monitor entrances and exits, it is important to have a solid set of rules and regulations in place in order to keep school entrances secure. For instance, the school should have a policy for how each faculty member should identify visitors to the school, how they keep records of those who have visited and entered the school and other rules. It is also imperative that these rules apply to everyone, even parents who visit the school on a daily basis; this helps ensure that rules are always followed and that no one slips through the cracks.
Utilizes Plenty of Security Cameras
Although you probably now realize how important it is to have security cameras at the entrances and exits of school buildings, there are plenty of other uses for surveillance cameras in an educational setting. Just as surveillance cameras can help keep people and property safe in residential and commercial situations, they can also help ensure that children and schools stay safe when they are utilized correctly.
Along with posting surveillance cameras by the entrances and exits of the school, it is also important for school officials to post them in hallways, parking lots, entrances and exits for the parking lot, playgrounds and more. Although some people feel as if these security cameras can be a bit intrusive for children and school staff members, they can help increase safety in a major way.
For instance, they can help faculty members monitor those who have entered the school to ensure that they do not commit any crimes, harm any children or break any rules or laws. They can also be used to monitor students to make sure that there are no fights, attacks or other violence; in many cases, these cameras can help to cut down on school violence dramatically.
Surveillance cameras have other purposes in schools as well. They can help educators keep a close eye on all of the children who are under their care, and they can also be used to watch for sexual activity, use of drugs, alcohol, tobacco or other illicit substances, bullying and general misbehavior. Since it is difficult for educators to keep a close eye on everything that every student does, having these cameras in place can make a drastic difference in how safe these children are while they are in school
Security cameras can also be used to protect school property from theft or vandalism. Along with catching students or faculty members who engage in this type of activity during the school day, surveillance cameras can also be used as evidence in the event that someone breaks into the school or vandalizes an area of the school after it has closed for the day; in fact, this evidence can help administrators and local law enforcement officials to find the culprit and take necessary legal action against him or her in the event that one of these crimes is committed, and it can help ensure that these things to not happen in the first place, since surveillance cameras often work as great deterrents for theft, vandalism and other similar crimes.
Along with using surveillance cameras in and around the school property, it is also a good idea to have surveillance cameras on all of the school buses. Since these vehicles are typically the site of fights and other activity, having cameras in place can help school administrators crack down on this sort of behavior.
Utilizes Metal Detectors
Many people do not realize just how important metal detectors can be in a school setting, and you might not think these devices have a place in the educational system. However, recent school shootings and other violence has made it necessary for school administrators to take as many steps as possible toward keeping violence out of schools, and metal detectors can help.
Not only can metal detectors be used to make sure that students don’t bring guns, knives and other weapons into the school, but they can also be used to check visitors for these weapons. Along with using them on regular school days, it is also a good idea to use metal detectors for graduation ceremonies, PTA meetings, sporting events and other activities; it is truly better to be safe than sorry.
Alarms
Burglar alarms also have a place inside schools in today’s world. People will burglarize almost anything nowadays, and schools aren’t an exception. Therefore, burglar alarms can help deter people from breaking into a school in order to steal, vandalize the building or commit other types of mischief or crimes. Not only can burglar alarms work as a deterrent, but they can also help local law enforcement officials to find those who have committed these crimes while they are still in the act, making it easier for them to recover stolen property and take necessary legal action against the person who committed the crime. Contact us today if you have any questions about the best answers for school security.