Surveillance cameras, access control systems and panic buttons can accelerate crisis response times, but experts warn against allowing devices to supersede thorough planning and training for the entire school community.
There were at least 144 incidents of gunfire on school grounds during the 2023-24 school year, marking an increase of 31 percent from the prior year, according to nonprofit advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety. With no solution to school violence in sight, districts must produce their own plans to protect students and staff.
Often, this means turning to technology, from visitor management systems and surveillance cameras to panic buttons and remote-controlled locks. However, experts caution that technology is not a panacea and must be used in conjunction with training and thorough crisis response protocols.
Creating those protocols, then sharing and practicing them with the entire school community, is the foundation of good security, according to Clay Crost, Education Market director at Sonitrol Great Lakes.
“You can have the latest security hardware in place, but it’s not a substitute for the human side of school safety,” Crost says. “The first and best line of defense is a well-trained, highly alert staff and student body.”
With solid emergency prevention training and response protocols in place, schools can use technology to help speed and strengthen those plans.
“The core is having a plan and knowing how to implement that plan in a crisis,” he said. “Every piece you can add from that core, everything you can do beyond that, is going to make that plan better.”
Even with advanced access controls, cameras with AI monitoring capabilities, and panic buttons as part of the school security plan, schools must avoid being lulled into a false sense of security once they have such technology in place, according to Crost. Instead, systems such as remote-controlled locks, surveillance cameras and panic buttons should be viewed only as components of a broader, human-centered security plan.
“Ultimately, you can’t solve a human behavioral problem solely or largely with security products and technology,” Crost said. “The number one way we find weapons, plots and kids who are going to cause harm to themselves or others is when a student comes forward and tells an adult that they trust.”
Source: govtech.com