PHLOSOPHY OF SCHOOL SAFETY AND SECURITY SYSTEMS INTERDICIPLINARY DECISION MATRIX To ensure that policies, procedures, training and physical facilities improvements are implemented in a planned and logical manner, a safety and security philosophy should be developed and articulated. Listed below are the questions that need to be addressed to develop this philosophy. Goals Prevention, Intervention, Response(damage mitigation) & Investigation Policies and Procedures Use of Facilities Drives who and when people have access Authority School Superintendent, Support of School Board Training Funding Support and Maintenance of System SCHOOL DISTRICT SAFETY POLICIES AND PROCEDURES School District policies dictate the philosophy of how the school district will conduct business. School district procedures outline how the policies will be implemented on an operational or day to day basis. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) give specific instructions on how to operate a piece of equipment or give detailed instructions on how to complete a form or conduct an operation. To ensure that staff members and the community know what the philosophy of the school district is and how that philosophy will be implemented, both policies and procedures should be implemented before either training or physical safety improvements are considered. Policies and procedures set the stage for staff training which then allows for the physical facility improvements to be made and subsequently utilized. A chain of events are created based on these set of expectations and one builds on another. The following is an example of this;
Knowing what the custodians responsibility is regarding building security sets the stage for the building being open for use and when it is locked up at the end of the day. Procedures for staff access determine if ID cards are worn and how keys are to be checked out to staff and when staff actually can access the building. Visitor check in procedures set the stage for staffs ability to either challenge them or open an invitation to help them based on the fact that they have checked in at the office (through one authorized door/procedure for all other doors to be locked and secured), given a visitor pass or sticker and how they are checked out of the facility. The visitor check in procedure also ensures that noncustodial parents are not allowed into the school. All of the above is just the start of setting expectations for staff, parents, school administrators and the school district administration for who is responsible for what activities. Looking at this from another vantage point is what transpires when either software or hardware is installed for school safety improvement such as CCTV. Simply placing camera s in schools creates expectation on the part of administrators, students, parents and the community. Without policies and procedures for how they are to be used and who has access to this data, fear and liability are created. Answering questions such as who will have access to video tapes (parents, students, principals, assistant principals, counselors, police officers, etc, etc) is important to answer prior to its installation. Training which must be conducted prior to its use will be dictated as to who needs the training which is determined by these policies and procedures. Listed below are some subjects that should have policies and procedures developed. These policies and procedures fall into three general categories. These are; Emergency Response, Access and Physical Facilities Improvements/Systems and their use. EMERGENCY RESPONSE BOMB/TERRORISTIC THREAT what staff is responsible for what actions.. ROLE OF THE SAFETY OFFICE, STUDENT SERVICES, SCHOOL AND CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION who s responsibility is it to promote, communicate, train, budget, write procedures. UNDESIRABLE GUEST/CRIMINAL TREASPASS what is the law that will be referenced and who has the responsibility and authority to address this issue at the school level.. SECURITY AND SAFETY INSPECTIONS building safety committees, school administrators, safety officer, community partners.. CRISIS PLANS who writes and maintains the district plan and what are schools responsibility for supplying site specific addendums, training and drills.. PANIC BUTTONS COMMUNICATIONS AND REPORTING STUDENT HARASSMENT/BULLYING PHONE /TEXTING/COMPUTER HARASSMENT DISORDERLY CONDUCT/DISRUPTION OF THE EDUCATIONAL ENVIONMENT
ACCESS AUTHORIZED POSSESSION OF SCHOOL DISTRICT PROPERTY SCHOOL / POLICE RELATIONS o Access to records/video tape o Access to students during class time parents present? SECURITY COMPANY/BUILDING ACCESS REPORTING AND COMMUNICATIONS CUSTODIAL RESPONSIBILITIES RELATED TO BUILDING SAFETY AND SECURITY ID (PHOTO ID) CARDS AND THEIR USE do they have to be worn or just carried EMPLOYEE BACKGROUND CHECKS state law, district policy & procedure. PHYSICAL KEY ACCESS OF SCHOOL FACILITIES are keys checked out to employees, collected and inventoried at the end of the school year, are there fees/fines for lost keys.. KEYLESS (ELECTRONIC CARD) ACCESS VISITOR ID CARDS PHYSICAL FACILITIES IMPROVEMENTS/SYSTEMS AND THEIR USE ALARM /INTRUSION SYSTEMS ACCESS SYSTEMS CCTV SYSTEMS SCHOOL PHYSICAL FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS INTEGRATED SAFETY AND SECURITY SYSTEMS A THREE LEGGED STOOL SERVING SCHOOL SAFETY Definition; a combining of Intrusion, Access Control and CCTV Systems into a leveraged technology system. By pulling together three traditionally stand alone components comprised of hardware, firmware and software into a cohesive program, all three of these programs can be utilized in a coordinated fashion. This results in efficiencies in cost, implementation, communications, use and maintenance. Together, these three components form a new tool to improve the safety and security of the school teaching and learning environment. Each of these facility improvements have potential need for training consideration as well as ensuring that they are supported by written policies, procedures or standard operation procedures. Again it is critical that they are designed or installed with a specific purpose in mind and that purpose is supported by appropriate training and written procedures.
INTRUSION COMPONENT (BUILDING ENVELOPE AND its CONTENTS) Keypads Door Contacts Security Panel Firmware Motion Detectors Sirens / Pizzo alarms Strobe Lights CCTV COMPONENT Fixed Interior Cameras Fixed Exterior Cameras PTZ (pan/tilt/zoom) Interior Cameras PTZ (pan/tilt/zoom) Interior Cameras DVR s (digital video recorders usually site based) NVR s (networked video recorders on site or centrally located) VCR s (video cassette recorders old technology which should not be implemented in new systems) TV Monitors (office, lobby, security/safety department, police department) Multiplexers ACCESS CONTROL COMPONENT Door Locks Keypads Access Control Panels Request to Exit (REX) Devices Readers (proximity, Weygand, magnetic swipe) Elevator Controls Garage/Fence Gate Controls Key Fobs / Access Control Cards/ Photo ID Cards MULTI USE COMPONENTS Computer Graphics / Building & Site Plans Camera Access Software Strobe Lights Security/Access Audible Alarms Security/Access Use of Camera s in Combination with Access Common Database for Employees
Common Database for Students Common database for Clients/parents SCHOOL MAPPING RAPID RESPONDER Employee (school) Database Collection of Still Photographs Graphic of Floor (multiple floors) Diagram Graphic of Site Diagram List of Contact Phone Numbers Location of each Emergency/Utility Equipment Shutoffs Copy of School / District Emergency Plan CRIME PREVENTION THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN (C.P.T.E.D.) FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS Lighting hours of operation, recommendations by police, energy consumption/savings consideration, tied into timers or photo cells.. Fencing height based on area secured (kindergarden playground vs HS baseball field), signage, gates, barbed wire and its liability. Integrated Safety and Security Systems Access Control Systems who has access, who controls and programs the system, how is it tied to the photo ID cards Security Systems what are the hours of operation, who responds to alarms (school personnel vs police), costs of false alarms CCTV Systems who has access to the images, how long are the images stored, who directs where cameras are pointed, who maintains and budgets for repairs and enhancements Door Locking Systems (electronic card access systems, hard keys) Phone Systems (use for desk, mobile contact or PA system for emergencies) Windows (ability to view the exterior of facility, grounds, parking lots, drives) Doors Motor Vehicle Traffic public access, overnight parking, delivery access, staff vs student parking, permits.. Pedestrian Access After Hours / Weekend Use - use by staff, faculty, community groups, rental agreements & fees, liability issues, insurance issues. Landscaping - trees providing access to roof tops, shrubs providing hiding places, policies & staffing to ensure ongoing maintenance Building Design - issues with viewing the public and checking them into the school when the main entrance is not within view of office staff.. Site Layout
WIRELESS DEVICES IT CONSIDERATIONS Cost of Wire Ease of Installation Reduced Labor Cost Placement in Remote Area s PHYSICAL FACILITIES SECURITY SYSTEM DESIGN, INSTALLATION AND MAINTENANCE Integrated Safety and Security Systems should have one vendor which helps to design (in collaboration with school district staff) the system to be installed. This vendor should be conversant in hardware components, software systems and be able to propose a variety of system designs based on the school district and its three school levels needs. This vendor should understand the school environment and the community in which the school district provides educational and community services. The chosen vendor needs to have good relationships with their suppliers and have the necessary certifications and licenses from their suppliers. In addition, the vendor should possess all of the necessary state and local licenses and registrations from state and local (city/county) regulatory authorities. After design, specification and the bid process, the successful vendor should work hand in hand with the school district Integrated Security Systems (ISS) team. This team should be comprised of representatives from the school districts Security Department, the IT Department and the Facilities Department. Together, this collaborative group will develop the installation schedule and priorities for projects. Regular project meetings with the vendor and the school district ISS Team should be scheduled to ensure project progress and to facilitate the rapid resolution of concerns that will naturally develop. After installation of the Integrated Safety and Security System has been accomplished, a system certification should be scheduled and completed. When this has been done, a school building staff training should be conducted by the vendor to ensure that all affected parties know both the purpose as well as the operation of the system
MAINTENANCE OF THE INTEGRATED SAFETY AND SECURITY SYSTEM Maintenance of any type of school safety or security system requires a group effort on the part of school administrators, Facilities and Custodial staff, the IT staff and school safety personnel. Ongoing upgrades and enhancements require budgeting and shared expectations. To ensure that this is accomplished, an ongoing Facilities Security Enhancement committee must be established and maintained on an ongoing basis. Discussions regarding equipment, budget, training, policies and procedures take a long term commitment to this process. COMMUNITY PARTNERS / RESPONDERS Input from various community partners/emergency responders during the design phase of policies and procedure development as well as training and facilities improvement will help to ensure a system which will work within the bigger picture. Items such as state and federal law should be considered as well as how these agencies will support training of district staff and what kind of response they will provide to school district facilities. Agencies to invite into these conversations and consult with include; Fire Department Police/Sherriff Department Department of Emergency Management County/Regional Health District COLABORATION WITHIN DISTRICT SCHOOLS There is a natural tendency to install security systems in one level of a school system (typically high schools) based on specific problems or issues while not considering the other levels. All schools at each level should however be considered when designing a security system (intrusion, access, CCTV, CEPTED items, etc.) due to the fact that you need to ensure that as the system grows, you will need to ensure that you have built into the system the capacity (data storage, wiring, software and firmware capacity) to expand the district wide integrated system. To only look at one or two schools at the beginning is short sighted and will cost the district more in the long run. Elementary Schools Middle Schools High Schools Special (Head Start, Alternative, etc.) Schools