Education Security – Keeping Our Campuses Safe, Secure and Protected

In this post, I'll share some considerations Security Associates of Coastal Georgia (SACG) takes into account when helping our clients in the education sector. From universities to colleges, and even high schools to grade schools and beyond, our comprehensive and concierge security services are well-matched and tailored to meet the unique needs of Georgia's educational institutions.

Oversee Access and People Flows

One of the most important and deciding factors common to security at all educational institutions is access control. In other words, when it comes to student and teacher safety, managing who enters and exits the school facilities is critical. Given the diverse population of students, staff, vendors, and general visitors, how you manage the flow of people who access the campus is vital.

Simply having a visible presence of guards who can efficiently and courteously oversee access goes a long way to keeping things orderly and managed.

The first line is the obvious one: on-the-ground presence. Simply having a visible presence of guards who can efficiently and courteously oversee access goes a long way to keeping things orderly and managed. This critical first layer visibly addresses and mitigates the risks associated with unauthorized entry from outsiders and insiders looking to cause trouble.

The physical presence of a team of guards directly covers the safety of students and staff, and it also signals to potential instigators that they'll immediately face a security or defence layer at the entrance of any given school grounds.

Remember that educational institutions are extremely dynamic hubs of human activity. This can make it challenging to monitor access and the flow of people, and simply having well-trained guardians there to keep eyes and ears alert is one of the best ways to ensure that events are minimized and security coverage is effective and appropriate.

Having a clear and highly visible security presence alone can deliver the peace of mind needed for students and staff, displaying to all that individual rights and safety protections are adequately covered.

Protect Your People, Places and Things

If a security incident or event should happen, having clear emergency response protocols is crucial. This helps support a secure environment where clear, appropriate, and effective measures are followed when it comes to safeguarding all individuals on campus.

Part of creating a secure environment like a school means that facilities, equipment, and other assets are also protected.

Naturally, personal security and protection are not limited to people. Part of creating a secure environment like a school means that facilities, equipment, and other assets are also protected. Building sites, parking lots, franchise vendors, and other physical property must be protected and secured. This also includes educational equipment or hardware like classroom materials, desks and chairs, and even the personal belongings of all staff and students.

Vandalism, theft, and damage can have a substantial financial impact on any institution, both from a direct cost perspective and also when looking at property insurance.

Sometimes, the simple mix of bringing large groups of people together – including students, educators, and the public – under one roof can spark high emotions and even conflict. In these rare cases, safety and security protocols are crucial.

In these complex cases, supporting all parties, including campus staff, students, and the public means adding our monitoring services to a college or university's on-site detection systems. This can mean ongoing surveillance equipment review and monitoring, but also adding regular security patrols, regular check-ins with our dispatch officers, hourly sweeps across various facilities, and more. This presence acts as another key deterrent to potential perpetrators.

The First Step is to Get a Systemic Review of Your Security Needs

We can only manage what we know and measure, and my team of security supervisors and experts are well-trained to work with educational institutions when it comes to campus security. Even for clients who already have a very strong sense of what they need and how to create a strong security umbrella, SACG's security experts can help identify potential weak spots in any given school's protocols.

For a quick consultation on how we can help you review your educational institution's security needs and capabilities, simply leave me a comment here or reach out through our website.