School security: A secured and safe school connotes an institution of learning that students look to as an encouraging environment that promotes creative and social learning.
In cases where student’s basic safety needs are left uncatered for, they are at risk of feeling uncomfortable at school.
This insecurity may infringe on the learning of students by living in fear throughout their stay in school.
School security
Demands continue to grow on individuals who can be trusted with the commitments of the safety and security of schools in the society.
This, thus necessitates the increasing need for law enforcement, educational, and security professionals to step up on the school grounds.
The issue of school security can be influenced by the leaders and controls of government parastatals, as they have the fundamental responsibility of ensuring the security of the citizens.
A concise analysis of school security encompasses all steps taken in educational environments to ensure that threats to people and property are combated.
School security and school safety are interwoven, it is the process by which students are protected and guided from the harms of violence and bullying.
Ensuring that students are not exposed to harmful elements which include gang activity and drugs are also related elements in school security.
School environments in the same vein as public places can see threats from the outside. These threats can also be from attacks by students, departments, or faculties in the institution due to the potentiality of assailants.
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When the issues of crime and violence are raised in our tertiary institutions, the thoughts of acts of violence that flooded the media in recent years come to our imagination.
We are conscious of the students and families that suffer the consequences of all these insecurities. Thus, we find out ways that they can be protected.
Emergency situations undeniably continue to happen in our institutions of learning, this is complemented by the increased severity of school violence.
Some of these hurtful acts regularly happening within the school system include.
- Victimization
- Bullying
- Violent crime
- Fighting and assault
- Theft and robbery
- Classroom disorder
- Sexual attacks
- Use of Weapons
Research indicates that on a yearly basis in schools, 1 of 4 students are victims of bullying in correlation with about 25 percent who are exposed to hate related crimes.
Society needs to come together as one to support children and youth as they need someone to have their back. Someone in this regard means who has the experience and emotional capacity to properly handle a potentially dangerous and tense situation.
The students can vouch for their confidence in you to be the person with the right mixture of training, dedication, determination, strength, and desire to do the right thing.
You can magnanimously contribute your quota to the safety of schools and security in society as everyone has a role to play in prevention and response.
Prevention and planning are the two indispensable concepts in school security. By this, it is implied that all stakeholders that participate in ensuring the safety and security of the school must aim to prevent this crisis by strategically planning ahead.
The security and safety architecture established by the schools must undergo comprehensive safety training from time to time, in order to pave the way for a massive and healthy environment of learning for children and youths.
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Ways to improve school security
1. Secure the perimeter
Incorporating fences and gates around the compound of the school to indicate the property’s interior and exterior is a good attempt to ensure safety in the school. In doing this, perimeter barriers are employed, and the safety of student drop-off zones and parking lots is ensured.
2. Access points limitation and monitoring
In order for the optimization of security around the school, access to the institution must be well guarded. There is no need for too many access doors into the school.
Establishing a main entrance for all members of the academic society ensures that security is optimized.
This method ensures the monitoring of movements inside and outside of the institution.
It is however important to note that other exits in the school can be used in cases of fire or emergency outbreaks.
3. Manage visitor Access
The security and safety of schools can be improved when the security agencies of the school ensure strict check-in procedures for visitors of the school.
This means that all guests must be accounted for in the visitors’ logbook as they come inside and outside of the school premises.
As popularly practiced, the use of school-issued identification in cases of badges can be embraced in order to monitor the movement of the visitors.
4 Embrace Community partnerships
The task of ensuring a safe and secure School can be enhanced by embracing support from community security networks and police surveillance for students outside the school premises.
5. Enhance classroom security
One of the basics of school security is ensuring that classrooms and lecture rooms our well well-furnished to repel threats and attacks.
The classroom doors should have an automatic locking system as well as windows with glass components blocking the vision of trespassers.
Importantly, the students and teachers as well as other staff members must be briefed and adequate training be given from time to time in managing emergency situations.
6. Digital safety prioritization
School safety must be ensured in all ramifications, with the advent of technology the safety of the students must be well as short and catered for by the school administrators.
The possibility of exposure to bullying from the internet as well as exposure to illegal and inappropriate content should be guided against.
7. Employ the services of Professional guards
The services of Private security contractors and possibly local police officers can be seek by educational institutions as a way of ensuring that the school environment is devoid of violence and criminal behaviours.
8. Conduct Threat and Risk assessment
Analysis of the safety and security level of schools can be done through threat and risk assessment. This will help in improving student and staff protection against all forms of crimes in the school.
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