How To Improve School Security

March 16th, 2020

For students who go to school in Billings, MT, the primary focus of the day should be on studying, getting good grades, and interacting with fellow students. Sadly, in America, unlike other countries, this is not the only major worry that students have. The USA is orders of magnitude higher for the threat of school shootings than any other nation on Earth.

This means that schools in Billings, MT need to provide an extra level of security above and beyond what schools in Canada or Japan must provide. To a lesser degree, crime of some sort is always going to an issue with schools, but there are things schools can do to minimize these threats.

Plans & Drills

One of the most critical things any school can do, regardless of size or age group, is to have an action plan. This means conducting drills to keep students in a state of preparedness. One of the worst things that can happen to any school in an emergency, whether it is a shooting incident or a fire, is have students in a panic, not knowing what to do, and not being able to rely on teachers for guidance.

Always take the time to formulate plans that take student age, geography, and different emergencies into account. Keep these plans simple and exercise diligence in occasionally drilling students to see how these plans execute. Perfection isn’t required, but keep an eye on the results.

Access Control Systems

This benefits your teachers, your students, and your overall efficiency with school security. Access control is a modern, high-tech approach to controlling entrances and exits. This can be in the form of keycard systems, numeric keypad systems, or even biometric inputs like fingerprints.

Access control systems can be used on main entrances and exits, as well as individual rooms, and all of this can be digitally centralized for control of all access control doors from a single source. In this way, doors can be remotely locked in an emergency, helping to funnel suspects. In non-emergency situations, access control can give a record of who is opening what door and when, for greater accuracy. With proper coordination, this is excellent at keeping only authorized people in certain parts of the school, especially after hours.

Surveillance Cameras

A security camera system is an effective way to monitor visitors, track student body activity, and even help to verify truancy. However, in a shooter situation, it’s also the safest way to track the movements of a suspect.

Today’s security camera systems can wirelessly transmit their images, meaning that police, if given access, can now use the cameras to track a suspect’s movement through a school. This can save lives as it provides the police with an efficient means to ascertain suspect location, and even find other students that may need help.

For any school in Billings, MT that wants to ensure that students have a safe experience while in the building or on campus, we can help. Contact us and let us evaluate your school’s security situation.