In an increasingly commercialized school security industry, independence allows me to provide objective, evidence-based guidance that puts schools, not products, first.
After more than 40 years as an independent school security practitioner and consultant, Dr. Ken Trump explains why independence from school security vendors leads to better school safety decisions.
Why Schools Need an Independent School Safety Consultant Now More Than Ever
For more than 40 years, people have occasionally asked why I have never joined a school security technology company, accepted a position with a security hardware manufacturer, or aligned my consulting practice with vendors selling products to schools.
The answer is simple: I have always believed that my client is the school, not the industry.
I have chosen to remain an independent school safety and security consultant because independence is not just part of my business model. It is the foundation of my professional integrity.
It has never been the easiest path. In fact, it has often been the most expensive one.
Remaining fiercely independent has undoubtedly cost me consulting opportunities, conference invitations, sponsorships, and professional relationships. But it has protected something far more valuable: my credibility and the trust schools place in me.
Schools deserve advice based on what is best for students, staff, and communities, not advice influenced by product sales goals or marketing strategies.
An Independent School Security Consultant Follows the Evidence, Not the Product
There are many useful and valuable school security products and tech on the market.
Cameras, access control systems, communications, visitor management systems, and other technologies all have legitimate roles when selected carefully and implemented properly.
But no product is the “solution.”
School safety has always been, and always will be, primarily about people, leadership, relationships, supervision, training, communication, planning, and continuous improvement. Technology should support those efforts, not define them.
Because I have no financial relationship with manufacturers or vendors, I have the freedom to recommend types of products when they truly fits a school’s needs. I also have the freedom to recommend against purchasing them when the evidence, costs, or operational realities suggest it is not the right investment.
That objectivity is one of the greatest advantages of hiring an independent school safety consultant.
Independence Means Asking the Questions Others Cannot
Being an independent school security consultant also means asking difficult questions that are sometimes uncomfortable for the industry.
- Does this technology have credible, independent evidence demonstrating effectiveness?
- Is this statewide mandate supported by research or driven by lobbying?
- Will this product actually solve the problem school leaders believe it will solve?
- What unintended consequences could result?
Those questions are much easier to ask when your livelihood does not depend on selling the answer.
Throughout my career, I have challenged popular trends, questioned exaggerated marketing claims, and encouraged school leaders to slow down before investing significant taxpayer dollars in expensive solutions that may not deliver the promised results.
Those positions have not always been popular.
But they have frequently proven to be correct.
Why This Independent School Safety Consultant Walked Away from Many National Conferences
My commitment to independence extends beyond consulting assignments.
In recent years, I have walked away from many national conferences where educational programming has increasingly become intertwined with vendor influence.
Over the years, I have watched portions of the conference industry evolve into environments where sponsorships, exhibitor relationships, and commercial partnerships increasingly influence educational programming. While many conferences continue to provide outstanding learning opportunities, others have become places where independent voices are less common and product-oriented presentations dominate the agenda.
Kenneth S. Trump, Ed.D.
Too often, speaking opportunities have evolved into a pay-to-play environment where meaningful access to educators depends less on expertise and more on sponsorship dollars, marketing partnerships, or belonging to an insider circle of vendors and consultants who travel from conference to conference delivering presentations that often blur the line between education and product promotion.
Many of these speakers may be knowledgeable professionals. Many presentations may contain some valuable information.
But educators deserve complete transparency regarding who is speaking, what interests they represent, and whether the recommendations being presented are truly independent.
I simply choose not to participate in that model.
In fact, I increasingly believe we need to take the professional school safety presenters and trainers to the local school communities. Why spend a lot of limited school resources to send a couple school staff to destination city national conferences when little information is returned back to the front-lines of our schools?
The Value of Hiring an Independent School Security Consultant
Why should school leaders care that their school security consultant is independent?
Choosing a school security consultant is one of the most important decisions a school district can make. True independence is not simply a credential. It is a safeguard that helps ensure recommendations are driven by evidence, experience, and the best interests of students and staff, not by commercial relationships, sponsorships, or product sales.
Kenneth S. Trump, Ed.D.
One of the greatest benefits of working with an independent school security consultant is receiving advice that is not influenced by commercial interests.
- Sometimes my recommendations involve investing in additional security measures.
- Sometimes they involve spending nothing at all.
- Sometimes the best investment is improving supervision instead of purchasing additional cameras.
- Sometimes it means strengthening leadership, emergency preparedness, behavioral threat assessment, staff development, or school climate before adding another piece of technology.
Those recommendations are driven by professional judgment, not product inventories or sales targets.
Independence Has Cost Me Money. I Would Make the Same Choice Again.
There is no question that remaining an independent school safety consultant has come with financial costs.
- I have declined partnerships.
- I have walked away from conferences.
- I have lost speaking opportunities.
- I have undoubtedly strained professional relationships by publicly questioning prevailing narratives within portions of the school security industry.
Over four decades, independence has almost certainly cost me income. It has cost speaking engagements, consulting opportunities, sponsorships, and, at times, professional relationships. Those are real costs. But they are outweighed by something money cannot buy: the confidence that every recommendation I make is based solely on what I believe is in the best interest of the schools I serve.
Kenneth S. Trump, Ed.D.
I accept those consequences without regret.
Professional integrity is much harder to rebuild than lost revenue.
My Commitment as an Independent School Security Consultant Will Not Change
As I look ahead, nothing about this philosophy is changing.
- I will continue evaluating school security products fairly.
- I will continue recognizing when technology has an appropriate role.
- I will continue challenging claims that are unsupported by independent evidence.
- I will continue encouraging school leaders to ask hard questions before investing precious resources.
Most importantly, I will continue serving schools as an independent school security consultant whose recommendations are guided by evidence, experience, and professional judgment, not by commercial interests.
Remaining independent has not always been the easiest path.
It has certainly not been the most profitable path.
But after more than 40 years, I am more convinced than ever that it has been the right path.
Schools deserve advisors who can say, without hesitation:
Kenneth S. Trump, Ed.D.
“I’m not here to sell you a product. I’m here to help you make the best decision for your students, staff, and community.”
Forty years from now, the products being marketed to schools will be different. The technologies will change. The trends will change. The conference exhibitors will change.
But one principle should never change: schools deserve objective advice from professionals whose first loyalty is to the students, educators, and communities they serve.
That has been my commitment for more than 40 years.
It remains my commitment today.
And it always will.
Dr. Kenneth S. Trump is President of National School Safety and Security Services
National School Safety and Security Services
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Frequently Asked Questions About Hiring an Independent School Security Consultant
Why should a school hire an independent school security consultant instead of relying on security vendors?
An independent school security consultant has no financial incentive to recommend a particular product, manufacturer, or technology platform. Recommendations are based solely on the school’s risks, goals, budget, culture, and operational realities. Schools receive objective guidance rather than advice influenced by sales targets or commercial partnerships.
What is the difference between an independent school safety consultant and a security product or tech vendor?
Security vendors provide valuable products and services, but they naturally focus on their own solutions. An independent school safety consultant evaluates the entire school safety program, including leadership, policies, emergency preparedness, supervision, behavioral threat assessment, communications, staff training, school climate, and physical security. Technology becomes one component of a comprehensive strategy rather than the starting point.
Can an independent school security consultant recommend security technology?
Absolutely.
Independence does not mean opposing technology. It means evaluating each solution objectively. An independent school security consultant may recommend cameras, access control, visitor management, emergency communications, weapons detection, or other technologies when they are supported by evidence and align with a school’s specific needs. Just as importantly, an independent consultant can recommend against expensive purchases that may offer little practical benefit.
Why is objectivity so important when making school security decisions?
School safety investments often involve significant taxpayer dollars and can affect daily operations for many years. Decisions should be driven by evidence, operational effectiveness, and educational priorities, not marketing claims or industry trends. Independent advice helps school leaders ask better questions, identify unintended consequences, and make more informed long-term decisions.
How can schools tell whether a school security consultant is truly independent?
Schools should ask direct questions.
- Does the consultant receive compensation from security vendors?
- Are conference presentations sponsored by product or tech manufacturers?
- Does the consultant receive referral fees, commissions, or consulting income from companies whose products or types of products they recommend?
True independence means recommendations are made without financial influence from vendors or manufacturers.
What qualifications should schools look for when hiring an independent school safety consultant?
Look for extensive PreK-12 experience, demonstrated expertise, strong references, nationally recognized work, practical field experience, and evidence-based recommendations. Schools should also ask whether the consultant has experience conducting district-wide assessments, emergency preparedness reviews, litigation consulting, and leadership training. Independence should be viewed as an additional professional qualification.
Is technology the most important part of school security?
No.
Technology can strengthen a school’s safety program, but it cannot replace effective leadership, positive school climate, staff training, behavioral threat assessment, quality supervision, emergency planning, and strong relationships with students and families. The most effective school security programs combine people, processes, and physical security in a balanced approach.
Why do truly independent school security consultants challenge popular security trends?
Because asking difficult questions is part of the job.
Independent consultants are free to evaluate whether emerging products, mandates, or best practices are supported by credible evidence. Sometimes the answer is yes. Sometimes it is no. Challenging assumptions helps schools avoid costly mistakes and focus limited resources where they will have the greatest impact.
Does hiring an independent school safety consultant save money?
It often can.
An objective assessment may identify opportunities to improve safety through policy changes, training, supervision, or operational improvements before investing in expensive hardware or technology. In many cases, independent advice helps schools prioritize investments that provide the greatest safety benefit for available resources.
Why have you remained an independent school security consultant for more than 40 years?
Because independence provides something that cannot be purchased:
The freedom to tell schools what they need to hear rather than what someone wants to sell.
That has sometimes meant recommending additional investments. Other times it has meant recommending that schools spend nothing at all.
Remaining an independent school security consultant has occasionally cost speaking engagements, consulting opportunities, sponsorships, and professional relationships.
But it has preserved something far more valuable:
Credibility. Objectivity. Trust.