Respect the Tactical Service. Evaluate the School Safety Advice and Tech Applicability.
Why School Safety Decisions Must Be Based on Evidence, Not Tactical Résumés In today’s school safety marketplace, it’s increasingly common for vendors to highlight founders’ or executives’ backgrounds in the military or tactical law enforcement. Military service and law enforcement service are honorable professions, and those experiences deserve respect. But when school districts are making […]
A School Safety Vacuum Is Forming—and Vendors Are Rushing to Fill It: The coming food fight over “credible” school safety guidance as existing school safety organizations quickly crumble
The school security field is in the middle of one of the most turbulent shake-ups in its history. Longstanding organizations are disappearing. Experienced professionals are losing jobs, crossing over to be the face for security vendors, or exiting the field. Private-equity and venture-capital money are reshaping organizations. Vendor lobbying influence is intensifying. And public-sector capacity […]
School Safety Product and Technology Decision Checklist: An independent school security tech decision guide for school leaders
Too many school safety technology decisions are made under pressure—after a tragedy, during a funding window, or in response to persuasive vendor claims. In those moments, it’s easy to confuse action with effectiveness. That’s why I developed the School Safety Product and Technology Decision Checklist—an independent due-diligence resource to help boards, superintendents, and district leaders […]
Buyer Beware: As private equity creeps into the school security industry, school leaders face increased risks
Buyer Beware: As private equity creeps deeper into the hashtagschool 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 […]
School safety is not a “plug and play” sport. It’s about fidelity of implementation.
School safety is not a plug and play sport. You can’t just plug in a new security product or piece of technology, walk away, and expect that things will run on autopilot. Why “it’s better than nothing” often isn’t really “better” Too often in recent years, I have heard school officials say, “Well, it’s better […]
Dr. Ken Trump’s School Safety 2024 Year in Review and 2025 Forecast
VUCA – Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. The acronym describes a rapidly changing environment in which it is difficult to analyze, prepare for, respond to, and prevent. It also describes school safety in 2024 — and most likely in 2025, as well. While a detailed analysis could easily fill a book chapter or two, a […]
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
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
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
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
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 […]