Vendor Tentacles in School Safety Nonprofits: What Is the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS)?
Vendor Influence in School Safety Nonprofits: Who runs the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools? Who Is behind PASS? An analysis of PASS leadership, security industry affiliations, funding relationships and its security product and technology-heavy Seventh Edition school safety guidelines. Is PASS an independent school safety nonprofit or a security industry organization operating under a nonprofit […]
School Safety Nonprofits and Vendor Influence: How School Leaders Can Evaluate Independence, Transparency, and Credibility
With the Rise of Industry-Affiliated “Nonprofits” in School Security, Not Every School Safety Nonprofit Is Independent. Here’s What School Leaders Need to Know. As the school security industry has grown into a multi-billion-dollar marketplace, a new trend has emerged: for-profit security vendors and industry executives creating or leading nonprofit organizations focused on school safety. These […]
As School Security Vendors Bundle the Services, Do They Bungle the Quality?
The Shift From Specialized School Safety Tools to “All-In-One” Platforms or Companies In the school safety marketplace, many security product and technology vendors begin with one strong core service. Hypothetically, it may start with a visitor management platform. Or perhaps a panic alert technology. Maybe it is even emergency management software, tip reporting, or threat […]
From Hard Sell to Soft Sell: The New Playbook for School Security Vendors
School security vendors did not suddenly discover the importance of relationships, climate, and prevention. They discovered a marketing problem. In recent years, the pitches were direct and blunt: School leaders and the media pushed back. Not because safety is not a priority, but because the messaging was: Educators know better. Real school safety is complex, […]
The Death of National School Safety Conferences: Shift to Local Training = Better ROI
Are School Safety Conferences Serving Schools or Selling to Them? For decades, national school safety conferences have been a staple of professional development, drawing educators, administrators, and safety professionals from across the country to high-profile venues promising cutting-edge insights. But the model is showing strain. What was once a content-driven, practitioner-focused experience is increasingly evolving […]
54,000 Alerts, Only 1% for Threats: Reality Check on School Panic Button Mandates
Mandating Panic Buttons: “Feeling Safer” or Being Safer? In the aftermath of school shootings, emotion understandably drives urgency. Legislators want to act. The public wants reassurance. Vendors offer so-called “solutions.” And increasingly, that “solution” has taken the form of state-mandated wearable panic buttons under laws such as Alyssa’s Law — now enacted in more than […]
School Safety in the Crosshairs: When Security Vendor Influence Leads to Criminal Charges
How private-equity money, aggressive marketing, and vendor courting of education and school safety leaders are creating ethical and legal minefields Marketing on Steroids in the School Security Industry The school security product and technology industry is operating in hyper-drive, fueled by private-equity money, aggressive marketing, and increasingly sophisticated lobbying efforts aimed at legislators and funding […]
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 […]
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 […]