Buyer Beware: As private equity creeps deeper into the school security product and technology market, smaller companies get gobbled up into bigger entities.
Bundled services. Louder marketing. Lobbyists hired. But quality risks going downhill.
Our team worked with one district where a once-reputable visitor management system failed miserably across dozens of schools — challenges with service, unresolved problems, and frustration among school leaders everywhere.
As I told ABC News in their recent network investigation, “I call it security theater. We often find huge gaps between how security products and technology are marketed and how they actually work — or don’t.”
Veteran school safety professional Curt Lavarello made a similar observation: “All of this technology is very, very expensive… and many products may not necessarily do what they’re being sold to do.”
What can school leaders do?
🔹 Closing the Gap Between Marketing and Reality in School Security Tech
✅ Verify before you buy: Require live demonstrations in your actual school environment — not just vendor videos or conference booths.
✅ Talk to other districts: Contact peer school systems directly for candid, real-world feedback on performance and service.
✅ Pilot first, purchase later: Test products in a few schools under normal operating conditions before committing districtwide.
✅ Include front-line voices: Get input from principals, teachers, and security staff who actually use the systems daily.
✅ Check service and support history: Ask vendors for documented response times and maintenance logs.
✅ Evaluate total cost of ownership: Factor in upgrades, repairs, and ongoing subscription or licensing fees — not just purchase price.
✅ Demand data, not promises: Require measurable performance metrics and hold vendors accountable for outcomes.
✅ Maintain human-centered balance: Reinforce that no technology replaces staff vigilance, supervision, and relationship-building.
✅ Audit periodically: Conduct third-party performance reviews to confirm systems are still functioning as intended.
✅ Keep control local: Don’t let product and tech vendors — or private equity owners — dictate what “security” should look like in your schools.
📖 Read more from this story that picked up on the ABC News investigative story: https://zurl.co/IDR5w
Dr. Kenneth S. Trump is President of National School Safety and Security Services
National School Safety and Security Services
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