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How to Make Sure School Security Guards Are Up to the Task

Provide Staff With the Training and Tools Needed to Succeed

How to Make Sure School Security Guards Are Up to the Task

Every time there is a new shooting at an American school, there’s a rush to increase security standards across the country. During this heightened sense of panic, the first step for many school districts is to increase the number of security guards on campus. Security guards now outnumber school counselors in three of the five biggest school districts in the country.

There are legitimate concerns as to whether this is the proper way to allocate school resources. In many cases, increased security staff may have little impact if not presented with the right training and tools to do the job. Examine the many ways your security staff should be relying on your school security system to keep kids safe on your Austin, TX, campus.   

SEE MORE: How to Improve Your School’s Access Control for Greater Security

Provide Immediate Access to Surveillance Footage

Even though security officers offer additional eyes throughout your campus, that doesn’t mean they should be completely isolated from your surveillance footage. They should receive alerts whenever your school security system tags suspicious activity like a gun on campus or someone accessing restricted areas. There should also be an option for them to pull up live footage on their phones, limiting the areas they have to cover physically to monitor your property. 

Make it Easy for Officers to Communicate with Staff

Don't rely on outdated two-way radio communication in case of an emergency. Equip your security staff with mass notification systems that let them quickly send out messages to the entire team or specific groups (based on location or incident type). As soon as guards see any suspicious activity, they can use a service like Share911 to relay the location, type of incident, and even information on appropriate next steps. They’ll be able to reach staff on their phones, via email, or through intercoms as needed.

Offer Training on Dealing with Vulnerable Students 

School security guards are often former law enforcement or military with little experience dealing with children or teenagers. Along with extensive background checks before joining, all guards should undergo comprehensive training to prepare for this new role. Not only do they need courses on de-escalation and mental health intervention, but in dealing with teenagers overall. During training, they should learn about adolescent development and social media use. Have them attend a few community or school events with students present before they start to learn more about interacting with them.

Integrate Officers into Threat Assessment Teams

You should create threat assessment teams in your school composed of teachers, principals, counselors, and security officers. For high-threat risks, including bomb threats, domestic violence, disruptive parents, or violent students, there should be an easy way for everyone on the team to communicate action items and updates. If you have a mass notification system, create a dedicated group for this team to easily share updates via phone or email. Verify that everyone involved has received relevant information regarding where threats stand and what the next steps should be. 

Ensure you’re getting the most out of your resources by pairing personnel with a state-of-the-art school security system. Get a free consultation with our security experts to find out which features make the most sense for your staff. To schedule a meeting, give us a call at (877) 418-ASAP, fill out our contact form or chat with us below.

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