Category Archive: School Security Equipment and Technology

Missing the mark: ASIS School Security Standard emphasizes physical security products and tech in schools over student mental health, while posing undue liability and financial burdens

Posted by on September 27, 2024

Guest article by Chuck Hibbert The American Society for Industrial Security – ASIS International – has developed an in-depth position paper presented as an ASIS School Security Standard for what they describe as K-12 schools. While we can assume most of the ASIS standard contributors have good intentions for school safety, the paper shows a […]

Counter-Argument: Reevaluating the Necessity and Effectiveness of the New ASIS School Security Standard

Posted by on September 26, 2024

Guest article by Dr. Stephen Bucheli Bayne While the recent ASIS proposed standards for school security are positioned as a necessary advancement for ensuring safer educational environments, several critical aspects warrant reconsideration: Overemphasis on Physical Security Measures: When implemented properly by local collaboration, physical security measures can enhance the protection of school buildings and their […]

ASIS School Security Standard: The Missing Link with School Safety Standards on Local School Boards

Posted by on September 25, 2024

Guest article by Bobby Kipper of The Kipper Group As we continue to witness the growth of proposed national school safety standards for campuses across the United States, we need to examine the cause and impact on local school divisions. While the intentions of all involved are clearly in what is believed to be in […]

Concerns Over ASIS School Security Standard: A Need for Balance Between Physical Security and Behavioral Threat Assessment

Posted by on September 25, 2024

Guest article by Jason Russell, Founder and President of Secure Environment Consultants (SEC). The recently released school security standard developed by ASIS (American Society for Industrial Security) has prompted concern among educators and mental health professionals due to its heavy focus on physical security measures like cameras, locks, fences, and panic buttons, while offering comparatively […]

ASIS School Security Standard: Heavy on security hardware, products, and technology mandates — and heavy on potential financial and liability burdens for school leaders.

Posted by on September 24, 2024

Are you a superintendent, school board member, or principal who does not want to be blindsided by school security mandates, financial burdens, and potential liability? If so, you will want to learn about a new maneuver, largely driven and influenced by security consultants and vendors, to create a “school security standard” that has potentially significant […]

School safety leaders: Focus on your core school security mission and functions (Lessons from recent Secret Service catastrophic security failures)

Posted by on August 6, 2024

Strategic school safety leaders recognize the importance of first graduating from kindergarten before grasping for PhD school security solutions. Focusing on mastering the fundamental core school security mission and functions should be every school leader’s goal. For the past half dozen or so years, we have emphasized the importance of mastering the fundamentals of school […]

From the White House to the schoolhouse, there is no perfect security – but by focusing on human factors, we can reduce risks

Posted by on July 23, 2024

The recent assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump put the U.S. Secret Service’s security practices under the microscope and today led to the resignation of the Director of the Secret Service. The now-former director of the Secret Service admitted to Congress that there were “significant” and “colossal” problems with security at former President Trump’s […]

School security market data versus independent research data: Strategic school safety leaders need to know the difference

Posted by on July 1, 2024

School board member: We have limited resources. We need to spend wisely while also letting parents know we are doing something. Superintendent: It’s hard to cut through the noise. Principal: I don’t know who to believe or who to trust – and I don’t need more headaches that make leading our school more difficult. I […]

Panic over panic buttons, guardians galore, and other school safety “legislation by anecdote”: Why lobbying based upon single incidents and high-profile tragedies does not necessarily make good school safety law.

Posted by on June 10, 2024

Several state legislatures have passed laws requiring schools to have panic buttons or similar emergency alert systems, often dubbed “Alyssa’s Law” based upon advocacy by a Florida parent who lost her daughter in the Parkland school shooting. A number of states have passed laws requiring all schools to have police officers or armed “guardians.” There […]

School security is being sold to the highest bidders. Private equity and venture capital investors are hijacking the school safety field. Will a passion for profits overshadow a passion for school safety?

Posted by on April 9, 2024

Follow the money. If you are a superintendent, school board member, or principal you should follow it very closely when it comes to school safety, or you may lose control over decisions about safety in your schools. Private investors are increasingly taking control over the school safety industry Private investors increasingly have their eyes set […]