Building Design: Technology

Building Design: Technology
• Video Surveillance
• Access Controls
• Gunfire Sensors (ShotSpotter)
• Bullet resistant glazing
• Glass breakage detection
• Mass notification systems
• Intercom systems
• Visitor management systems

Resource Links:
You Better Make These Schools Safe’: As School Starts, Violence Is Top of Mind
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/08/30/you-better-make-these-schools-safe-as.html

Building Design: Classroom Security

Building Design: Classroom Security

Classroom door hardware

  • Always locked or lockable from inside the classroom
  • Consider barricade devices that are approved by the AHJ
  • Minimize glazing to prevent visibility, physical access to the lockset from the corridor side, gaining physical access to the space via glazed openings.
  • Consider protective glazing films or ballistic glazing at classroom entrances.
  • Provide shades to conceal glazed openings
  • Create shelter-in-place areas within the classroom
  • Strategically located opaque walls that allow students to hide outside the line of sight
  • Consider using ancillary classrooms spaces – toilet rooms, small group instruction rooms, storage rooms – as part of shelter in place strategy

Emergency Egress

  • Consider multiple points of egress to allow for escape within the building or to the exterior.

Resource Links:
Architects prioritize design as a school security solution
https://www.aia.org/articles/201346-architects-prioritize-design-as-a-school-se

Building Design: Strategic Building Separation

Building Design: Strategic Building Separation
• Where possible, separate regularly occupied student spaces from “public” spaces (lobbies, commons areas, activities areas) with cross corridor separations.

  • Classrooms wings or pods
  • Can be tied into the access control system for automatic lockdown
  • Interface cross corridor fire separation w/ building access controls
  • Provide separate entrance(s) for public spaces that need to be occupied separately from the remainder of the building.

Resource Links:
Guide for developing high-quality school emergency operations plans: at a glance
https://rems.ed.gov/K12GuideForDevelHQSchool.aspx

Building Design: Secure Entry

Building Design: Secure Entry
• Clearly identifiable
• Restrict public access to building to a single secure entry
• Minimize other entrances and equip egress doors w/ door contacts, position switches, etc. that can send notifications to staff when they are left open.
• Secure entry should require direct interaction with staff member prior to allowing access to office area or remainder of building
• Equip entrance and contiguous office areas w/ access controls/emergency lock-down hardware to prevent/delay intruders from gaining access to the remainder of the building.
• Equip office area w/ multiple secure lockdown “buttons” to enable lockdown.
• Allow for clear sightlines to the exterior and main interior corridors; staff should be strategically located to have consistent access to these sightlines
• If clear sightlines are not possible, supplement w/ video surveillance systems.
• Consider displaying video surveillance capabilities, such that the public recognizes that they are being monitored while on site.
• Provide specific resources in the office area to help dissuade the need to gain access to other parts of the building (public toilet facilities, conference rooms, etc.)
• Consider strategic use of shatter-resistant glazing films and/or ballistic glazing at secure entrance vestibule.
• Remove fire alarm pull stations from secure entry vestibule (may require special permission from the AHJ.
• Lock-down to enable automatic emergency dial-out

Resource Links:
Strategies to enhance security and reduce vandalism
http://www.k12.wa.us/SchFacilities/Advisory/pubdocs/2016April/FlSafeGuide2003.pdf

Site Design Best Practices:

Site Design Best Practices:
• Child’s journey begins at home – walking, busing, pick-up/drop-off, mass transit – not necessarily under the control of the designer, but must be considered.
• Appropriate site lighting levels
• Landscaping that does not permit individuals to hide (themselves or other objects)
• Clear lines of sight
• Proper delineation of property (materials, signage, fencing, landscaping, etc.)
• Avoid siting the building in a manner such that allows for dark corners, hiding places, etc.
• Vehicular collision prevention – bollards, berms, etc.

Resource Links:
Strategies to enhance security and reduce vandalism
http://www.k12.wa.us/SchFacilities/Advisory/pubdocs/2016April/FlSafeGuide2003.pdf

Technology: Communication Goal

Technology: Communication Goal
• Right Information to the
• Right People at the
• Right Time so they can make the
• Right Decisions and issue the
• Right Communications.

Resource Links:
School safety, Security and Emergency preparedness
https://www.nsba.org/services/school-board-leadership-services/school-safety-and-security

Technology: Avoiding Risks

Technology: Avoiding Risks
• Overlapping and unconnected tools, data streams, interfaces, and teams can slow any organization’s response to a critical event when minutes count. Enabling fast communication among key participants can help bring about a more integrated response to emergencies.

Resource Links:
You Better Make These Schools Safe’: As School Starts, Violence Is Top of Mind
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/08/30/you-better-make-these-schools-safe-as.html

Policy: Student Policies

Policy: Student Policies
• School level-

  • Working to be inclusive of all others
  • Awareness of security breaches
  • Taking shelter in place
  • Classroom and school evacuations – cooperating with first responders

Resource Links:
School Safety & Crisis
http://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources/school-safety-and-crisis

Policy: Student Policies

Policy: Student Policies
• District level-

  • Training staff on the use of physical security measures/systems provided in each school
  • Addressing bullying among staff and students –“Rachel’s Challenge” and “Sandy Hook Promise” programs are examples
  • Training with local law enforcement officials on various disaster scenarios

Resource Links:
Threat Assessment: Predicting and Preventing School Violence
http://www.naspcenter.org/factsheets/threatassess_fs.html

 

Here’s How To Prevent The Next School Shooting, Experts Say
https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2018/03/07/590877717/experts-say-here-s-how-to-prevent-the-next-school-shooting

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