School Security Highest Priority
The shooting at Uvalde has left Americans stunned, angry, sad, and unsettled. Activists are taking the streets and social media, calling for a change in gun laws to prevent devastating events like this from happening in the future. Whether or not stricter gun laws will do all people hope, the fact remains that schools are a target for violence and undeniably deserve to be safer.
As Americans come out from lockdowns and students have experienced a year back on campus, the concern for school safety should not be yet another reason students miss any more of their education. No student or teacher should have to experience anything like the Uvalde tragedy in their lifetime.
The urgency for school safety is once again front and center, and the summer provides an excellent opportunity for the school to establish measures to ensure safety in the fall. Hiring qualified and experienced school security guards from a reputable security provider should be done sooner rather than later. Security guards are trained to familiarize themselves with every campus in which they work, identifying vulnerable areas and addressing any safety concerns before the campuses are once again full of the hustle and bustle of the new school year. As many more schools will be ramping up with private security guards, schools should take a proactive approach, work with an excellent security coordinator, and begin the process now. The highest trained school security guards serve as security for the campus and provide an invaluable risk assessment ahead of time, allowing schools to begin on time and with additional safety measures in place.
Armed or Unarmed School Security
Many schools nationwide have one police officer who stays on campus during the day. Of course, police are armed, and adding security guards to the team can be armed or unarmed. The best school security guards have intense training from their military backgrounds and service and law enforcement training that is effective with or without arms. It is up to each school individually. A reputable and established school security provider can walk the administration through the different options and costs and find something that works with every budget and need. Adding school security guards is not something exclusive to schools in “bad areas,” but something all students, staff, faculty, and families deserve as America looks ahead.
Students and teachers should not be expected to carry arms and fend off an active shooter. School security guards can take the lead and are trained to act at the initial signs of any threats. Security guards act as a natural extension of those monitoring traffic on and off-campus. These highly trained men and women masterfully watch access at designated entries and the perimeter area. Trained school security guards ensure those unauthorized on campus never make it on.
School Security Guards Are Trained in Medical Assistance
The best school security guard companies will offer their men and women continued training so they are current when they arrive on the assignment, with knowledge of trending threats. Providing an onsite expert in First Aid, CPR, AED machine operation, and working with emergency agencies allows a seamless process if anyone on campus needs medical attention. School security guards are well versed in all basic medical training and can help anyone in need until emergency vehicles arrive. It is often underestimated how valuable having someone designed to administer emergency medical attention is. Trained school security guards work professionally and calmly with 9–1–1 and any emergency services that arrive on the scene. It is critical to have someone who can carry this burden when time is of the essence.
In First Aid alone, there are enough students who require EpiPens for allergic reactions to warrant someone with expert training onsite during school. Operating an AED machine can be intimidating, but all professional security guards have real-life experience and are fully trained to effortlessly administer medical treatments like AED and CPR. These tasks do not have to be the sole responsibility of the front office administrator or school nurse!
School Security Prepared to Handle Unwanted Behaviors from Students and Parents
As schools across America continue to face challenges getting enough staff and volunteers, students are testing boundaries and boldly exhibiting prohibited behavior while at school. Whether it is students vaping in the bathroom, leaving campus without permission, or getting into a fight, security guards establish immediate authority with students, and students respond to authority figures in uniform.
Surprisingly, parents tend to respond more respectfully to authority figures. Having designated school security to guide drop-off and pick-up can significantly relieve parents and staff. Although many do not think about disruptions during drop-off and pick-up, it is commonly a hectic time of the day. Managing traffic flow and ensuring traffic laws help protect students from drivers when they are on bikes and walking. The combination of local police and security guards creates an effective, safe front for students and those dropping off and picking them up at school campuses. If anyone with ill intentions were to be in a vehicle, authorities would be able to identify the threat early and stop unwanted behaviors from anyone.
School Security Guards Expertly Oversee Emergency Drill Practice
Who could be better trained than retired military and law enforcement to oversee emergency drills and set the tone of it being serious business? Some students tend to disregard drills as silly or a waste of time, but it is critical our students and faculty, and staff are as prepared as they can be for emergencies. If students, teachers, and staff feel safer returning to school campuses with additional security guards onsite, it is worth finding room in every school’s budget to meet this need. Whether considering short-term or long-term assignments, find a reputable nationwide security guard provider who can quickly dispatch according to the demands with those explicitly trained for school campuses. The needs are unique, the students precious, and the security must be exceptional. Whether guards are assigned armed or unarmed, due to the intensive training backgrounds of the men and women who work as school security guards, weapon or not, they know how to handle emergencies and situations unique to school campuses.
