Safety is a basic human need. In our day-to-day lives, we take measures to improve our safety and that of our loved ones. We look before we cross the street, use seatbelts while driving, helmets when on a bike, life jackets if we aren’t comfortable in a body of water, and so on. These safety tips are also taught to other members of the family, especially children.
Parents and guardians have two major expectations when they enroll a child in school. The first is for the child to receive quality education through proper teaching and mentoring by the teachers. The second is that the child is safe at school. After all, children will spend a lot of time and school, and parents want peace of mind about the safety of their kids when they leave for school.
Security has become a major concern for everyone in recent times. Incidents happen every day in the community, and schools are not spared. Parents are becoming increasingly worried about the safety of their children in schools. This puts a big responsibility on the school management to put structures in place to guarantee the safety of everyone on the school premises.
It’s recommended that the management consult security experts for professional insights into how security can be improved. Below are essential security measures that schools must implement in 2022.
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Table of Contents
Install CCTV in All Nooks and Crannies of the School
CCTV cameras are a game-changer when it comes to improving security. Their presence alone is enough to deter criminals from breaking into the school for vandalism, stealing, or other anti-social behavior. Criminals tend to like the easy option, and most will avoid properties that have an “all-seeing” eye that’s recording their activities.
Teachers and students will also be on their best behavior when CCTVs are installed, as any acts that go against the school regulations can be seen in real-time or reviewed during the investigation of an incident. Therefore, it’s important to install CCTV in all nooks and crannies of the school. And considering it’s cost-effective to install CCTV these days, schools have no reason not to install them.
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The Perimeter Must be Secured
It’s important that the school environment is secured to prevent the entry of unauthorized individuals or animals. Standard fencing is enough for most schools, and the goal should be to reduce the number of access points to the school. Management can then easily keep track of people entering and leaving the premises.
Apart from improving school security, perimeter fencing also improves a school’s image and aesthetics. It creates a good positive first impression of the school and makes supervision of staff and students easier.
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Security Personnel Must be Stationed at The Gate
Security is the responsibility of everyone in the school, and thus an “all hands on deck” approach should be taken. Management, teachers, and even students have a role to play. However, schools need dedicated security personnel that can act as proactive eyes and ears on the ground.
Security personnel can deals with incidents or prevent them from escalating. It’s important that security personnel are properly trained and are sent for refresher courses to ensure they have the important knowledge to carry out their roles.
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Installation of Silent Alarms
Technology is an important component of a security system, and one component that has proved to be extremely useful is the installation of silent alarms linked with law enforcement, a feature that’s available on a good school safety app.
The main benefit of silent alarms is that they significantly improve response time. In emergency and non-emergency situations like acts of mass violence, behavioral crises, fire outbreak, medical crises, criminal activity, or physical alterations, the response time of the appropriate authorities may be the difference between life or death. Apart from alerting authorities of incidents, safety apps can also provide real-time information, which can prove invaluable in resolving crises.
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Students and Staff Should Always Be in Possession of their ID cards
Threats to school safety can come from outside or within the school. And having students and staff members display their ID cards can help improve school safety as it’s easy to distinguish between students, visitors, and staff members. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, only 18% of high schools require students to wear ID cards which is not good enough.
Students will be able to immediately identify staff members in cases of emergencies. Modern ID cards can be equipped with an access code system that can grant or deny access to certain areas of the schools. This ensures students don’t access restricted areas and will improve their safety.
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Thorough Background Check Should be Conducted on All Staff Members
An extensive background check is needed on staff members for two reasons. The first is to verify that the staff has the certifications and training they claim to have undergone, while the second reason is to check if they are outstanding members of the community.
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