By Bret Rachlin on 3/27/2009 3:42 PM

Does your school employ armed security officers (Source: StatesmanJournal, March 18, 2009, School security will disarm)? Two campus security officers at Silverton High School in Oregon carry firearms, but this month the school board voted to disarm them due to liability issues because “any claim filed against them would fall back on the school district.”

According to the superintendent, no other school district in the state employs its own armed security. However, that’s not the case in other states across the country. Just this week SecurityInfoWatch.com reported that Memphis City Schools is trying to get a state legislation bill passed which would allow it to employ its own police force. In fact, other ... Read More »

By Bret Rachlin on 3/20/2009 9:41 AM

Schools have a great deal of similarities, but each school also has its own unique attributes. This makes it critical for security professionals to design comprehensive campus security plans tailored to address their individual school’s attributes. With that in mind, Jeff Fields, an experienced physical security consultant, has outlined the critical steps necessary in creating a campus security plan (Source: Campus Safety Magazine, Mar/Apr 2009, 10 Steps to Creating a Campus Security Master Plan).

According to Fields, “To develop an effective plan, it is critical to document the campus’ security mission and physical security objectives, in addition to equipment and technology to be used in securing the campus. The security master plan must also take into consideration the impact and effect it will have on the population of the campus and the level of control needed ... Read More »

By Bret Rachlin on 3/11/2009 3:46 PM

Earlier this week 75 police officers, detectives, emergency workers and school administrators attended a course on “School Bus Safety in a Post 9/11 Era” (Source: phillyBurbs.com, 3/10/2009, School buses seen as potential terrorist targets).

"Based on the assumption by the FBI, there will be further terrorist attacks and school buses are soft targets," said presenter Curtis Lavarello, the 23-year law enforcement veteran from Florida. "It's been found that children could be the next target for terrorists."

According to the article, “Police and school administrators need to better monitor their school bus yards and need to know if the buses are in a secure compound, who has access to the buses, are they monitored by guards ... Read More »

By Bret Rachlin on 3/6/2009 4:40 PM

After recently highlighting school security and safety assessments, the events that took place at Woodstock High School in the Atlanta suburbs yesterday illustrate their importance (Source: The Atlanta-Journal Constitution, 3/6/2009, Woodstock principal: Emergency plans will be reviewed).

Just before 8 a.m., the campus was locked down after a student had stolen guns from his home and run away. Police and school personnel feared that the weapons would end up at school. Fortunately, police tracked down the missing student, as well as the guns and another potential perpetrator, and the school lifted the lock down later in the day.

Overall, the school’s principal says that his staff responded well to the crisis, but that the school would review its emergency plans to determine how they can improve. F ... Read More »

By Bret Rachlin on 2/26/2009 5:29 PM

Last week, I highlighted the value that comprehensive security and safety assessments bring to schools. The recent actions of the York City School Board in Pennsylvania reinforce why assessments are valuable (Source: The Evening Sun, 2/20/2009, City school board creates security positions).

Earlier this month the board voted to approve creating six new security positions, although Gettysburg’s superintendent said that the district “hadn’t yet reached a need for trained security officers.” Additionally, two of the seven board members voted against the creation of the new security officers. One board member explained that he disagreed with the security plan, which “now includes moving all high-school hall monitors to the elementary schools and replacing them with security officers.”

Why would two board members, as well as one of the school superintendents not ... Read More »

By Bret Rachlin on 2/18/2009 3:58 PM

Charlotte-Mecklenburg school teachers are concerned about the district cutting the number of school security officers by more than 30 percent (Source: WCNC, 2/10/2009, Campus security in jeopardy with budget cuts).

According to the article all high schools would get two security officers, while the middle schools would get one, under the proposed budget cuts. Judy Kidd, president of the North Carolina Classroom Teachers Association, said, “It’s a safety and security issue. We can’t get proper supervision and safety with the numbers we have now.”

While school budgets tighten more and more each day, it’s imperative that they choose areas to cut wisely. Clearly, safety and security areas are not immune to cuts, but on what basis do schools make safety and security reductions? How do schools know the impact of their security changes? Have they done a risk analy ... Read More »

By Bret Rachlin on 2/10/2009 2:10 PM

SERAPH, a consulting firm that conducts threat assessments for schools and provides a biannual school safety report for Congress, has released its “Five Critical School Safety Issues” list (Source: SERAPH, 2/4/2009, Expert Group Releases Five Critical School Safety Issues List for 2009).

After interviewing teachers, school security personnel, police, and principals from 120 school districts across the United States, the five critical issues (the press release provides details on each issue) are:

1. Lack of Accurate Understanding of Safety Issues
2. Reaction Not Prediction
3. Poor Management of Schools
4. Lack of Effective Plans to Combat Truancy and Lateness
Read More »

By Bret Rachlin on 2/2/2009 3:40 PM

Earlier this month thieves stole $26,000 in computers and equipment from Overbrook High School in Philadelphia (Source: Philadelphia Daily News, 1/29/2009, Ackerman slams school security). What makes this particular theft interesting is that the school’s alarm system had not been turned on and none of the school’s 38 cameras had tapes in them. While the district investigates the school’s breakdown in security process, the superintendent says that the root of the security problem is “human error.”

The reality of the situation is that the district operates antiquated technology (tape-based video surveillance) and employs too few police officers to be responsible for turning on school alarm systems. Of course, the district does not have the necessary funds to secure its schools adequately, including the management of the existing security sys ... Read More »

By Bret Rachlin on 1/29/2009 12:08 PM

Brian Ney, superintendent of Howard-Winneshiek Community School District in Iowa understands the value of new security technology (Source: Cresco Times-Plain Dealer, 1/27/2009, New cameras, locks improve school security). His district recently implemented new digital surveillance cameras and electronic door locks at Crestwood High School. Then it moved the older digital video surveillance system from the high school to an elementary school, which was still using a videotape recorder system.

According to Ney, “Our current doors and locks at the high school are old and we have had problems keeping them functioning properly. Just like a car with 200,000 miles on it, repairs can be made, but it is more cost-efficient and time-efficient to replace.”

While schools are tasked often to do more with less, security is ... Read More »

By Bret Rachlin on 1/21/2009 4:47 PM

An Oklahoma task force recommends that higher education institutions increase security spending from $37 per student to $100 per student, “an extra $16 million in money from the state (Source: KOCO.com, 1/14/2009, Task Force Seeks Funding From State Homeland Security Office).”

According to the article, “The panel said Oklahoma schools are making some progress to keep the campus safe but more money needs to be spent on security and mental health counseling services.”

The task force asked Oklahoma’s Department of Homeland Security to fund state colleges, universities and technology centers on an as-needed basis.

This is good news for Oklahoma colleges, as they not only will be able to fund much needed security upgrades, but they also will have the confidence to make appropriate security decisions without fear that their fun ... Read More »