Locked Classroom Doors, Security Industry Research, and $93 Million in Federal School Safety Funding: Follow the Money?
Should classroom doors be locked all day? A Security Industry Association-funded ALERRT study is fueling calls for mandatory locked classroom door policies just as $93 million in federal school safety funding includes money for interior door locks and hardware. Locked doors can provide an important layer of school safety and school security, but the research, […]
Vendor Tentacles in School Safety Nonprofits: What Are ZeroNow and the National Council of School Safety Directors (NCSSD), and How Are They Connected to Omnilert and the Security Industry?
ZeroNow and the National Council of School Safety Directors present themselves as school safety organizations. Federal tax filings and public records, however, reveal a deeper network of security vendor connections, overlapping leadership, and funding. Follow the nonprofit trail and the vendor connections appear School security vendors once marketed primarily through exhibit halls, sales calls, product […]
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 […]
Why I Remained 100% Independent School Security Consultant For 40+ Years
Hint: Because My Client Has Always Been the School, Not the Industry. Schools deserve objective advice, not product pitches. When school leaders invest in school safety and security, they often face a marketplace filled with technology vendors, product demonstrations, marketing claims, and competing opinions. Determining what truly serves the best interests of students, staff, and […]
Correlation vs. Causation: A Critical Thinking Guide for School Leaders Evaluating School Security Effectiveness Claims
School leaders routinely apply evidence-based decision making in education. The same analytical thinking should guide decisions about panic buttons, weapons detection, other school security technologies, and school safety programs. Can School Security Technology Improve Attendance, School Climate, and Graduation Rates? School leaders are increasingly encountering school security effectiveness claims about school security technology. Some claims […]
Why States Should Reject Alyssa’s Law and School Panic Button Mandates: What the Data Really Show
States Should Let School Districts Decide School Safety Needs In recent years, states have increasingly passed Alyssa’s Law and similar legislation requiring schools to implement panic button systems. The laws are typically promoted as a way to improve emergency response during school shootings and other catastrophic incidents. The rationale is understandable. Alyssa’s Law is named […]
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 […]