Jan 8

Written by: Bret Rachlin
1/8/2010 4:58 PM

Schools in Lynn, Massachusetts, plan to upgrade their security programs with access control systems this year (Source: The Daily Item, December 27, 2009, Security upgrade coming for Lynn schools). Eighteen schools will benefit from the upgrade, which costs $75,000. With the new system, the school will issue access control cards to employees, allowing administrators to keep track of people entering and leaving buildings.

While the article simply highlights the basics of the new security upgrade and explains that the mayor-elect wants to bring back school resource officers, it’s the comments section that is most interesting. Obviously, many people who comment often hide behind obscure usernames, and it’s usually those most passionate that take the time to comment. Unfortunately, the majority of the 10 comments are negative about the security upgrade. Some blame parents for problems with students and others think that the security technology is a waste of money and an excuse for school employees who don’t do an adequate job of monitoring their campuses.

Even though those who commented may not represent the majority of the school community, it’s important that the school district address them on a consistent basis. School safety and security cannot be practiced in a vacuum. It takes the whole community to keep schools safe, as it’s often the community’s tax dollars (in addition to grants) that provide the funding for security initiatives. When schools implement technical solutions to complement the security work of administrators and officers, they should communicate to the community the effectiveness of the program. By explaining what’s working and the areas that need improvement, the community can work together more effectively to solve these problems. It’s likely that several community members who aren’t familiar with modern school security programs may have read these comments and agreed with them without knowing the whole story.

Of course, ongoing communication requires more work from overworked superintendents and principals, but if they can incorporate the students into the communication process, then the students can assist them in carrying this message of proactive security to the community. Outlets such as the school newspaper, as well as social media, can help schools explain the importance of adding technology to safety and security initiatives, which allows schools to provide safe learning environments.

How does your district deal with negative comments about your security program and the money you spend on it? Do you have a communications plan to explain your security initiatives to the community?

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