One survey shows that 47% of schools stated that they experienced at least one security incident involving violence, theft, and more. They reported a total of around 422,800 crimes on school premises.
School security is one of the primary concerns for staff overseeing the management of school property. To learn about the top school security technology trends that would benefit your institution and prevent crime, keep reading.
Top Security Trends For Schools
Here are some of the top security trends for schools that you must know about as an educator or site manager.
Touchless Access Control
Touchless access control uses mobile credentials to operate school buildings’ internal and external door locks. Access control is the cornerstone of securing a school environment to secure the building from intruders and prevent access to sensitive information areas. Safeguarding is one of the principal priorities in an educational setting, as students are in the custody of educators and school staff during school hours.
Touchless access control uses mobile credentials or digital access cards to allow students to enter parts of the school and prevent unauthorized users from accessing staff areas within the school, such as staff rooms and school offices. The technology can be installed with Bluetooth capabilities, meaning that door lock readers can communicate with mobile devices without the user having to remove their device from a pocket or bag to present it in front of the reader and for keeping the rooms or cabins warm go for Ring hytta varm. This function helps to keep traffic moving in school corridors and hallways, which can become quite crowded during transitional times of day between classes.
Internal and external door locks are the foundation of effective school security systems, keeping your students safe and protecting sensitive data within the school from exposure.
Visitor Management Software
Schools have many visitors throughout each day, from seminar leaders to child protection services. Since safeguarding children is paramount, your staff must log the entry and exit of these visitors accurately.
Keeping track of which visitors have signed in and out can become a significant task for school office administrators and receptionists. Having a streamlined and accurate visitor management system can ensure your receptionists have a foolproof system in place to log visitors.
You can integrate visitor management software with your school’s access control system. Visitors need to register on their mobile devices to gain a temporary digital access card. Visitors with school clearance certificates will be able to enter the school and travel to their meetings and appointments without an escort. This saves time for teachers and reception staff with other duties to manage.
At the end of the school day, visitors will be automatically signed out upon leaving the building and not regain access with their digital keycard. The visitor management software will display clearly which visitors have entered the school and when they left. If any visitors remain in the building, this will be easily identifiable using visitor management software.
Integrating Security Installations
One of the most significant concerns with an access control system is the misappropriation of access credentials. If an unauthorized user obtains the mobile device of a member of staff or student, this can cause a security breach, which may expose sensitive student data.
To identify incidents involving misappropriated access credentials, you can integrate your access control system technologies to present all data on one interface. You will be able to view access logs alongside security camera footage, which means your security staff will be able to spot incidents of misappropriated access quickly. Your security staff will not have to correlate data using timestamps from different sources so that they can view all information on one interface.
Mobile Devices For Remote Operations
You can integrate the following essential school security features with your access control system:
- Lockdown features – your access control system can lock all doors to help contain the situation if there is an emergency on the school premises. This feature usually comes free with your access control system.
- Gunshot detection sensors – your security staff will be notified when a gunshot sensor is triggered, allowing for an immediate and effective response in line with the school’s gunshot protocols.
- Panic buttons – panic buttons allow students and staff to call for help from security staff members or emergency services when under duress.
These features can be operated remotely using a mobile application to make them more accessible in emergencies.
Summary
As school staff and educators, there is an obligation to provide a foolproof security system to keep school property safe from intruders and unauthorized users. Schools house sensitive data, which educators and staff must protect from interception, and students’ safety must be a priority. Schools can provide convenient and practical security converged on one interface by installing an integrated security system.