Security in SchoolsReuben MillsChuck PuchonGary QuigleyJonathan Walsh

THREAT ASSESSMENT IN SCHOOLS:A GUIDE TO MANAGING THREATENING SITUATIONSAND TO CREATING SAFE SCHOOL CLIMATES

(UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE AND UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 2002)

Major Components and Tasks for Creating a Safe/Connected School Climate

• Assessment of the school’s emotional climate• Emphasis on the importance of listening in schools• Adoption of a strong, but caring stance against the code of silence• Prevention of, and intervention in, bullying• Involvement of all members of the school community in planning, creating, and sustaining a school culture of safety and respect• Development of trusting relationships between each student and at least

one adult at school• Creation of mechanisms for developing and sustaining safe school

climates.

Foundations of a School Security Plan•“It can’t happen here!” (West Nickel Mine School, Virginia Tech,

Columbine)

•Michael Chertoff, Director of the Dept. of Homeland Security, “ In a free and open society, we simply cannot protect every person against every risk at every moment and in every place. There is no perfect security.” (Wall Street Journal, 2/14/2006)

•Transportation Security Administration is on the forefront of layered security in airports.

Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

Foundations of a School Security Plan•Five Building Blocks of a Layered School

Security Plan▫Access Control▫Visitor Management▫Video Surveillance▫Emergency Response Plan▫Mass Notification and Alerting

Access Control

Visitor Management

Visitor Management

Scanner and Software System

Performs several

background checks

Uses State Issued ID or Name and Birth date

Prints a Visitor’s

Badge with Picture,

Purpose of Visit, Date, &

Time

When Visitor leaves, scans out creating a

daily log of Visitors in the

Building

Badge image fades after 24

hours

Visitor Management

What Can These Systems Check?

Registered Sex Offenders

Custody Issues

Restraining Orders

Protection From Abuse Orders

Approved Pick-up Lists

Visitor ManagementPositives:-Provides Security checks on all visitors-- School can program specific concerns and needs-- Messaging system that sends text messages or notifications to security of a positive security scan

-Negatives:-- Confidentiality Issues among school staff-- All staff need to be clear on School Policy and State and Federal Laws

-See a Visitor Management System in Action (North Carolina)-http://www.lobbyguard.com/solutions/school_safety.htm

CV Schools Take High-Tech Approach to Security

•  Wed March 04, 2009 - Silver Spring Twp • ABC 27 News -

http://www.whtm.com/news/stories/0309/600620.html • The Cumberland Valley School District is the first in the country to

install "school gate guardian" software.• Visitors will be required to show some form of 'state' identification.• Staff will check the 'id' against the registered sex offender database and

look for red flags, including protection-from-abuse orders. • Everyone coming into schools--including staff--will be checked at least

once. 

"We felt it's time to use technology to assist us in attempting to monitor and control and manage visitors as they attempt to gain access to our schools," said Don Brink, the district's Director of Security.

• The software will cost about $4,000 for each school. Brink hopes to have it installed district-wide over the next several months.

Visitor Management•For More Information

▫SchoolGate Guardian – http://www.schoolgateguardian.com/default.aspx

▫Lobby Guard - http://www.lobbyguard.com/

▫Touch Mate / School Defender - http://www.touchmateusa.com/index.html

▫Raptor Software - http://www.raptorware.com/vsoft.html

Video Surveillance

•Closed-circuit television•1 person monitoring a CCTV sees more

than 10 people on foot•Price has dropped in last 5 years•Color monitors cheaper than black and

white

CCTV

•From rooftop, administrator can zoom in and get license plate numbers

•Weather-resistant domes•Cameras automatically switch from color

monitoring during day to light-sensitive mono-chrome at night

•Districts save money by producing clear images w/ low light (do not need to install additional lighting)

CCTV capabilities

•Display video and record high resolution pictures on a hard drive

•Eliminate cost and headaches of VCR taping•Provide instant access to critical recordings•Use simple keystrokes to locate images by

alarm, time, date or camera number•Images retrieved on demand•Monitoring can be made to authorized

personnel anywhere in the district via their computer

CCTV is a tapeless system

• New Britain High School▫Connecticut’s largest high school▫District has 63 cameras (47 inside)▫Pan-tilt cameras capture anywhere that anyone can

go on campus▫System is tied to 2 police cruisers▫High asset rooms (computer lab, nurse, etc.) have

cameras fitted w/ motion sensors▫If someone enters unauthorized, cameras begin

recording▫District is saving $200,000 dollars annually in

vandalism expenses.

School Districts using CCT V

•Miami-Dade County Public Schools▫4th largest district in the country▫120 cameras placed around the campus▫34 % drop in the 19 serious incident

categories▫62% drop in aggravated assault▫72 % drop in weapon-related incidents

School Districts using CCTV

Emergency Response Plan

Emergency Response Plan•The information provided comes from the

Philadelphia Electrical and Technology Charter High School.

•P. E. & T. Charter H.S. is located at 15th and Chestnut Streets in Philadelphia, PA.

Emergency Response Plan•Schools have a high-density human

population•This concentration of people brings

opportunities and possibilities of the unexpected, the difficult, and the unusual

•There is no substitute for good judgment, clear thinking, calm and reason.

Emergency Response Plan• Schools have plans that address the following situations:

▫ Bomb threats▫ Dealing with death/suicide▫ Emergency care of ill or injured groups▫ Firearms/weapons/dangerous instruments in school▫ Fire/explosion▫ Hazardous Materials▫ Hostage/Terrorist situation▫ Important telephone numbers▫ Kidnapping/missing student▫ Nuclear emergencies▫ Severe weather▫ Suspicious persons

Responsibilities of Principal•Remain in command center and manage

crisis•Direct 911 to be called•Declare a Code Red (respond or no

respond)•Direct school bells to be turned off•Brief police, fire and emergency medical

personnel

Responsibilities of Principal (cont.)•Establish the crisis management team.

▫The team shall advise the principal and provide a support team to deal with the emotional needs of students, staff and parents.

•Hold a debriefing meeting immediately following the end of the crisis situation with everyone involved in the crisis.▫Review the facts and evaluate response

Responsibilities of Principal (cont.)•Make every effort to communicate with

parents as quickly as possible after the conclusion of a crisis situation.▫Accurate information is essential.

Code Red-General Procedures• A Code Red is declared when a situation exists that

threatens the safety of students and staff and requires that they remain in their classrooms.

• An announcement will be made in one of two ways:▫Code Red – Respond▫Code Red – No Response

No one moves. • Check restrooms during crisis.• If class is outside when a Code Red is declared go

to the furthest part of the school property.

Code Red – General Procedures• Classroom Teachers Responsibilities during Code

Red – No Response▫ Prevent students from leaving their class for any reason

and guide students who are in the hallways into the classroom

▫ Students in the hallways shall be instructed to report to the nearest classroom.

▫ Secure the area (Lock Classroom Doors and Windows). Turn off all lights.

▫ Do not close blinds or shades other than the classroom door window.

▫ Move students away from the door where their presence would not be visible from the hallway.

▫ Take attendance and maintain silence at all times

Code Red – General Procedures• Classroom teachers responsibilities during Code

Red – No Response (cont.)▫ Disregard all school bells and wait for instructions from

the principal/designee or police/fire personal. ▫ If available, turn on the television and turn off the volume.▫ Await dismissal by the appropriate authority. You may

receive instructions to vacate the room by individual class. Take student roll book and/or class list with you.

▫ Do not unlock doors unless directed to do so by the principal/designee or police/fire personnel.

▫ Do not attempt to contact the office unless an emergency arises in your classroom or you have pertinent information concerning the current emergency.

Code Red – General Procedures• Classroom teachers responsibilities during Code

Red – Respond.▫ Follow the above procedures except for locking

classroom doors and windows, turning off the lights and moving students to the rear of the classroom.

▫ If a television set is available in the classroom, turn it on and turn up the volume so it is audible.

Mass Notification and Alerting

Mass Notification

DESCRIPTION•Mass Notification System

oAlerts students, staff, community via strobe light, sounder and digital signage

oPanic buttons for immediate help transmitted to school officials

Justification •“Some state legislatures have recently passed laws

requiring their schools and universities to implement reliable and comprehensive mass notifications systems (MNS).” The Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990 requires that post secondary institutions make “timely warnings to the campus community about crimes that pose an ongoing threat to students and employees.” Above and beyond state or federal legislation, we in public safety have a moral and ethical obligation to provide the safest possible environment for our students and employees.”

(Corich,September/October 2009)

ALERTUS: Localized Emergency Notification

Major Components and Tasks for Creating a Safe/Connected School Climate

• An affordable product that is easy to use• Program is expandable• Does not rely on cellular or the internet• Has an open system architecture to allow

partnerships with other products and software• Interface designed to operate in a graphical web

browser without internet connections• System can be installed on premises or hosted in

remote locations

Facility Notification Appliances •The Alert System can disseminate alerts

to the following end points:▫Alert Beacons▫Voice Public Address ▫Fire Alarm Audio Systems▫Digital Signage▫Desktop Alert Software

Benefits of Alert Beacon

•Cost Effective in comparison to other products

•Multimodal enabling•Reliable•ADA Accessible•Flexible•Empowering•Easy•Interoperable

Beacon Alerts Vs. Text or Email NotificationBeacon Alerts Text or Email notification• Sirens and strobes

immediately capture everyone’s attention

• Allows receiver to acknowledge receipt or silence alarms

• Can fail due to congestion during an emergency

• Receiver has to open or read email or text messages

• Inoperable during power failure

K-16 Solution•Confidence builder for school

administrators sufficiently prepared to respond to emergencies;

•Offers alternative to phone phones when emergency situations arise;

•Outdoor alert products and interface capabilities can be used with existing systems such as horns, speakers etc.

School Districts using Alert Beacons•Berkeley County School District,

Martinsburg, WV serves approximately 17,000

•Davies County Public School, Owensboro, KY

serves approximately 10,840 students, grades P-12, in 18 schools

For more information•www.alertbeacons.com

•State of New Jersey: http://www.state.nj.us/njoem/

•State of PA https://alert.pa.gov/index.php?CCheck=1

Security in Schools•… “No single discipline alone can prevent

violence. A complex problem such as violence must be prevented through a combination of approaches.”▫ Lisa C Barrios - Division of Adolescent and School Health

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Atlanta, GA

Foundations of a School Security Plan•Five Building Blocks of a Layered School

Security Plan▫Access Control▫Visitor Management▫Video Surveillance▫Emergency Response Plan▫Mass Notification and Alerting

Security in SchoolsReuben MillsChuck PuchonGary QuigleyJonathan Walsh