A rise in campus violence demands cooperation, new solutions.
Throughout its 50-year history, Sonitrol Great Lakes has provided comprehensive security solutions to the educational community at K-12 districts, as well as university and college campuses.
In the beginning, and through the years, the emphasis among the educational community focused on protecting buildings, classrooms, and other areas from break-ins, burglary, and vandalism. According to the National Education Association (NEA), a school is three times more likely to be burglarized than a business, costing more than $1 billion in losses annually.
Verified audio and video surveillance alarms have prevented many potential losses, and have resulted in thousands of apprehensions, here in the Great Lakes region and nationwide.
Fast-forward to the grim, new realities of school security as schools and their host communities deal with a more dangerous form of crime: violence against students, teachers, and staff. The NEA says that every hour of every school day, about 900 teachers are threatened, and more than 2,000 students and nearly 40 teachers are physically attacked on school property.
Now, in addition to existing audio and video surveillance systems, schools are beefing up their security by adding access control equipment at entry and exit points, panic alarms throughout their properties, and systems to actuate lockdowns and provide mass notification in the event of an emergency.
“I think that security experts are learning something new each time there is a school shooting or other violent incident,” said Clay Crost, Sonitrol Great Lakes Director of Education Market. “The issue I see is how actions or procedures are typically second-guessed afterward. There will always be room for improvement.”
Sonitrol Great Lakes President Mike Wanstreet added, “This is going to be a continuing challenge for schools and communities. It is not unlike the battle that information technology wages against hackers and viruses. Each move by IT creates an adjustment by the other side.”
Crost and Wanstreet noted that many schools also serve as community centers for athletic events, exercise, plays, concerts, and more. Because of their importance to the community, and for the safety of students, staff and residents, more cooperation and communication needs to take place among school officials, faculty, parents, students, law enforcement and community leaders to strategize the best ways to secure their schools.
Visit https://sonitrolverified.com/industry-solutions/education to learn more about Sonitrol Great Lakes products and services to the education community, and to arrange for a free security assessment of your campus.