Tips on Avoiding Serious Attacks on School Entrances

Tips on Avoiding Serious Attacks on School Entrances

Having the right training and security measures in place can minimize harm and safeguard lives in the tragic event that an active shooting occurs on school grounds, which unfortunately happens all too often these days.

While being well-prepared and having a plan in place for when an active threat situation arises are great first steps, it is also necessary to have physical barriers to prevent the shooter from entering specific locations, such as classrooms.

Be Sure To Check The Doors Of Your School

Properly inspecting all doors on campus, including entry doors, classroom doors, and others, should be the first step in being ready to lock them.

Determine the closing and locking mechanisms of each door, check the condition of the current locks, and make a note of the doors with potentially broken glass panels. The data presented here should help you narrow down the list of door security measures to implement.

Consulting a security specialist for a school danger assessment might be a great help during this process. After going over all of your current security procedures, these assessments will pinpoint any weak spots and suggest ways to strengthen school safety.

Upgrade To Safer Door Locks

Install stronger locks, like inside-locked deadbolts, on any doors that have weak locks, like those with push-button handles.

If you have any doors that require a key to be entered from the outside, consider replacing them with ones that can be opened from the inside.

Set Up Entry Controls For Schools

A multi-tiered approach to school safety should include access control systems. By limiting access to authorized individuals exclusively, they lessen the likelihood that a hostile individual who is neither a student nor an employee may get into the school.

Imagine a school with an access control system where entering the building necessitates scanning an ID card or entering a code.

Additionally, these school entrances should be manned so that the designated staff can keep an eye out for any unusual behavior, including unidentified individuals attempting to enter the premises.

 Prepare Door Barricades During Active Threats

If you want to accomplish this, you should put heavy items like bookshelves, filing cabinets, and tables close to the entrance. In the case of an active threat situation, the teacher and/or pupils can swiftly place these items in front of the entrance to assist block a shooter’s access.

Install Bulletproof Glass On School Doors

The school security folding accordion doors with glass panels are extremely susceptible to forceful entry, even with the use of locks, access control systems, and barriers.

An active danger can shatter or shoot through glass, unlock a door, move obstacles out of the way, and enter a classroom with its occupants.

Door glass can be retrofitted with ballistic-grade glazing shields, preferably constructed of polycarbonate or a mix of polycarbonate and laminated security glass, to reduce the impact of this hazard.

Not everything is bulletproof, but this door security glazing can prevent gunshots from entering the window behind. If a threat is shooting through the door, this allows the opposite side time to drop down and hide.