This Week in Security: Majority of K-12 Educators Say School Safety Impacts Staff Retention, Unlocking the End-user Perception & more!

Each week, the marketing team at ESA gathers the latest news from the security industry for our weekly integrator round up!

This week we look at School Shootings: Prevention, Response, Mitigation and Recovery Resources, Welcome Our Newest August Integrator Members of 2024 and more...

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Majority of K-12 Educators Say School Safety Impacts Staff Retention

A new national survey found that while 77 percent of?K-12?educators and administrators believe that school safety significantly impacts staff retention and recruitment, only 33 percent feel that their school or district highly prioritizes staff safety.

Findings from the 2024 National Educator Survey Report are said to highlight the importance of creating safe school environments that empower staff to be part of initiating a safety response protocol for any and all emergency situations.

Among key findings of the report:

School safety directly impacts student achievement and well-being

• 84 percent affirm that school safety directly impacts student achievement
• 83 percent report that students have some level of concern for their safety while at school
• 56 percent report that they lose two or more hours of instructional time each week — the equivalent of nine or more school days annually — to address emergency or safety incidents

School safety is a key factor in educator retention and recruitment

• 77 percent believe school safety significantly impacts staff retention and recruitment
• 45 percent have considered leaving or have left their job due to feeling unsafe
• 57 percent know of a colleague who has left their job due to feeling unsafe

Personal safety and emergency preparedness are top-of-mind for educators

• 80 percent regularly think of their own physical safety when at work
• Only 33 percent perceive high prioritization of staff safety by schools
• 74 percent don't feel fully supported by their employer to handle emergency incidents

The survey also provided insight into the many resources educators use to handle emergency situations. The most prominent was cell phones with nearly 40 percent reported to use these to initiate requests for help. In many cases when under duress, operating a cell phone can create issues and underscore barriers, according to the report. The best outcomes occur when personnel are notified immediately and able to respond quickly.

The survey results revealed large and inconsistent gaps in notification and response time, with an average of 3-11 minutes to notify emergency personnel (43 percent) and 6-11 minutes to receive a response (44 percent).

The?survey?was conducted by CENTEGIX, a wearable safety technology provider for K-12 education, in February. It included 530 U.S. K-12 educators, school administrators and district administrators. The data was collected using SurveyMonkey Audience.

Read the Full Article - Majority of K-12 Educators Say School Safety Impacts Staff Retention | SDM Magazine

School Shootings: Prevention, Response, Mitigation and Recovery Resources

No school security program is infallible, and there are things in our communities, as well as state and federal laws that schools can’t control. The following practices, however, should decrease your school’s chances of a foreseeable tragedy happening on campus, including a school shooting.

The recommendations are:

• Improve access control?and, if possible, build a secure vestibule that funnels all visitors through one entrance. (IMPORTANT: When bolstering access control, also ensure first responders, such as law enforcement and fire, are still able to access campus during a lockdown. Do they have keys, access cards, or some other way they can quickly enter a classroom, office, or any area on campus experiencing a security or safety issue? This will help them more effectively respond to situations, such as a barricaded suspect, fire, etc.)
• Deploy metal detectors at sporting events, concerts, political speeches, etc. Consider randomly using weapons detection technology on K-12 campuses during school hours.
• Install?locks?on classroom doors that lock from the inside. Be sure to follow all applicable codes and laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) codes, etc.
• Consider installing window security film in appropriate areas, being careful not to hinder building evacuation during emergencies.
• Adopt?panic alarms/buttons?so teachers and other staff members can call for help when there is an emergency.
• Hire a qualified and experienced security contractor/systems integrator that?understands and follows all codes and regulations to install all security, public safety, and life safety systems and equipment.
• Train students, faculty, staff, and clinicians how to properly identify and?respond to active shooters?and other campus emergencies.
• Regularly conduct drills and exercises that address a wide variety of hazards and incidents, not just active shooters.
• Install?visitor management systems?that screen guests.
• Have teachers and staff members carry panic buttons.
• Install or update emergency communication and notification equipment
• Create a multi-disciplinary?threat assessment?and threat management team.
• Partner with local first responders so they can effectively and quickly respond to a campus emergency. This should happen long before an incident happens.
• Hire?school resource officers (SROs) or campus police officers, provide them with appropriate training, and then arm them.
• Adopt?Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED)?concepts.
• Train faculty, staff, administrators, and public safety officers on?verbal de-escalation techniques.
• Deploy security cameras that campus police and/or local law enforcement can tap into during an incident. The evidence provided by video surveillance systems is also extremely useful during investigations of incidents.
• Conduct?background checks?on all teachers, staff, volunteers, and vendors.
• Have on staff enough school psychologists, social workers, and counselors so individuals exhibiting concerning behavior get the help they need before they resort to violence against themselves, against others, or both.
• Develop emergency plans and keep them current.
• Develop and maintain relationships with students, faculty, staff, clinicians, nurses, and others in the community so they feel comfortable reporting the concerning behavior of others.
• Adopt?anonymous tip?phone lines and text messaging services.
• Have the ability to effectively and quickly?reunite students with their parents or legal guardians.
• After an incident, provide long-term mental health services to students, staff members, and faculty.
• Develop policies and procedures to support all of the solutions you’ve adopted and then regularly train and re-train all campus personnel on how to implement and follow them.

This list is in no way complete or perfect. Like all of you, we are constantly looking for new and better ways to make campuses safer during school shootings. That said, it’s a good start for novices to campus security. It also serves as an important reminder to school security veterans.

Read the Full Article - School Shootings: Prevention, Response, Mitigation and Recovery Resources - Security Sales & Integration

Unlocking the End-user Perception

An observation as a creator of identity verification solutions is that while industry leaders are often excited by the opportunity to leverage biometrics, there are often concerns raised about the end-user mindset during the conversation. Primarily, what are end-users’ expectations of biometric technology? What concerns might they have about its usage to authenticate and protect their access?

Security and identity management leaders have access to information that permits us to be discerning and technology-forward end-users. Understanding the perception of end-users who may be a bit more unfamiliar with the industry is key to unlocking the strategy and approach to the implementation of biometrics.

Targeting Insights Aware recently conducted a study of U.S. participants with key questions targeting insights into their perceptions of biometrics. According to this survey, overall consumer receptiveness towards biometric authentication is high, with most respondents reporting they use it “often” or “always” in their daily lives. Furthermore, participants indicated they overwhelmingly believe that biometrics are set to become more prevalent in the next five years.

Biometric adoption by organizations presents an opportunity to enhance the end-user experience, increase security, and streamline operations. Still, three key concerns can create barriers to more widespread biometric technology adoption – the presence of bias in biometric technology, concerns over data breaches and adherence to privacy laws, and end-user abandonment when biometrics are deployed by organizations.

Here, we’ll discuss these questions at a deeper level, and we will also share, with insights from the study, how they can best be addressed by organizations looking to lead with biometric technology.

Read the Full Article - Unlocking the End-user Perception -- Security Today

Welcome Our Newest August Integrator Members of 2024

This month we have had 33 new integrator members join the association!?

Here are all the new Integrators that have joined ESA in August. Welcome to the ESA Community!

Many electronic security and life safety integrator members join ESA for a specific purpose: to save by leveraging increased purchasing power, to network, to gain access to industry-specific sales coaching or better rates on insurance policies, to exchange ideas and best practices, etc.

Once they join, they find the association holds many more opportunities to dive into. ESA Membership Benefits are customized to powerfully impact small, medium and large businesses.

Here are all the new Integrators that have joined ESA in August:

Statewide Alarm & Security Corp, NY

SHIELD? Security Systems, NY

Savvy Communications, TX

KMT Systems, GA

Alarm Central, MO

Central Alarm, AZ

Proactive Technology Solutions, Australia

SimpleHome, AL

Integrated Information Systems, NC

Reed Brothers Security, CA

Level 5 Security Group, FL

SSL Home Security, NY

Vanguard Security Corporation, PA

Batteries Plus, WY

AAA Electronic Services & Electrical Contracting, NY

Critical Integrated Systems, FL

Columbia Fire Dept, SC

Maui Alarm Systems. HI

Iconstrux Technology Solutions, TX

Tritech Integrated Solutions, VA

JS Solutions, NJ

A.A. Custom Technologies, GA

SHARED, UT

Power Solutions, IA

Integriward, TX

Mason Security Agency, VA

ALIBI Security, TX

Ataraxis Solutions, PA

Fusion LVS, NJ

True View Security Solutions, NY

Integriward, TX

Home Electronic Life Protection, MA

Adams Telecom Systems, TN

Read Full Article - Welcome Our Newest August Integrator Members of 2024 - ESA (esaweb.org)

And that’s all for this week, but don’t forget to follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram for real-time announcements of all our news content!

Sources: Security Sales & Integration , SDM Magazine and Security Today