A New School Year Begins - Has Much Changed at Your Local School?

It's the eve of September and private and public schools from K-12 through higher education have retuned for the '23-'24 year. Sadly, the fear of major safety events remains as children and young adults are headed back to the classroom. The question is, what was done at your local school system or higher education campus over the summer to make students, staff, and visitors more secure?

Was staff training enhanced to cover new policies or procedures for significant events? Were students part of updated training? Was law enforcement part of the training sessions?

Was new technology implemented to help school resource officers and other authorities respond faster to incidents as they unfold? For example, can they access video camera feeds from virtually every part of the building or campus to instantly from their mobile device to verify a situation or alarm? Have all doors been armed with detectors that know when the door is propped open?

Have changes to the physical structure of the building been implemented? For example, has bullet-resistant glass been installed at entryways?

This is a tough topic to confront head-on. It's emotionally charged, involves our most vulnerable, and requires funding to implement training, technology, and construction projects.

The 2023 active shooter preparedness survey by everbridge found the following:

• Active shooter situations remain the top security threat 
• Employee and student safety is more concerning than ever 

• Confidence in preparation is lacking  
• Communication is the biggest challenge  
• Concerns and actions are not 100% aligned 
• Executive and Board level engagement is crucial 
• There is significant room for response improvement  

As much as everyone wants to take action to prevent and quickly respond to these tragic situations, it's important to start with an expert physical security risk assessment of the building or campus from policies and procedures to technology used by administrators and school resource officers. To get started, we produced this free downloadable physical security risk assessment guide. If you need professional assistance, please reach out to our team, we're here to help.

FREE: PHYSICAL SECURITY RISK ASSESSMENT CONSIDERATIONS GUIDE

We understand the challenges that security professionals face in securing their facilities and creating a safe environment within their budget. We also recognize the difficulty in finding the right resources and expert advice to achieve this mission.

That's why we're excited to announce the release of our considerations guide, designed specifically to help security professionals conduct their own in-house security risk assessment.

This comprehensive guide aims to assist you in identifying any missing or inadequate physical security measures that may compromise the safety and security of your assets, people, property, and critical business functions. While we highly recommend consulting with a third-party expert like Theseus Professional Services in certain cases, this guide will empower you to take a proactive approach to assess and address security risks within your organization.

The findings of a security risk assessment play a vital role in measuring and communicating the level of risk to your organization. By following the guidelines outlined in this guide, you can enhance the overall security of your facility while staying within your budget.

We believe that knowledge is power, and we're committed to providing you with valuable resources to help you achieve your security goals. Download our considerations guide today and take control of your facility's security.

• Process Evaluation
• Threats
• Vulnerability Assessment Highlights
• Electronic Security Systems Considerations
• Site Considerations
• Building Entrances and Exits
• Common Functional Areas
• Building Envelope
• Utilities and Building Services
• Building Systems

Download here >>