Schools across the country have changed over the past two years. Canadian perception was such that violence and crime were troubling issues taking place in the United States, but there are more frequent incidents of bullying and victimization, violent activity, crime, and theft in Canada’s own schools.
To cultivate a safe and welcoming environment, schools require a student and staff safety framework, as well as support for successful daily management and operations to keep everyone on the grounds safe and secure.
Process visitors at a single point
School building officials can focus their attention on many areas, but one of the first to consider is that a campus has a secure single point of entry, with the necessary processes and equipment.
Visitors and parents can receive screening, information, and permission to enter the school all from one specific location on campus. This location could be the front door or a main entrance, which is easily observed and supervised by a staff member.
The chosen entry point should be easily seen and labelled with signage, which clearly outlines the next steps necessary for each visitor. This signage should, for example, direct visitors to the nearest staff member who can sign the visitor in.
Cultivating safety through visitor management
On a given day, there are numerous situations where visitors must enter the facility, whether for maintenance work, events, or student pick-ups outside of normal hours.
Regardless of who they are, they should never be able to enter the building without stating their identity and the purpose of their visit. This information should be verified before entry is granted, for the safety of students and staff, and for adherence to fire regulations.
In the case of unwanted intruders, a gated entry is recommended to prevent people from entering at will. Keeping an audit trail to record who entered the grounds, their stated purpose, and the duration of their stay is important for security review purposes.
Naturally, visitor management strategies vary from school to school depending on the age of the student body and the physical layout of the campus. Even with these differences, there exists applicable technology for every step of the way. The visitor management process should, at minimum, incorporate the following procedures:
1. An easily identifiable and distinguishable main entrance close to the main office which accepts and screens visitors. This should be easily accessible for visitors on foot and marked well enough to be seen from the building’s parking lot.
2. All doors are to be locked until access is granted.
3. The main entrance must house a method of communication between visitors and building security staff.
4. Once a visitor has communicated with building security, building staff must decide whether to grant access to the visitor. All staff should be routinely trained regarding the visitor screening process and provided with a clear outline of who is allowed into the building and for what purpose. In the case that the visitor is approved for entry, the communication device should also control the lock on the door, permitting the visitor to enter after they are provided with instructions to make their way to the main office.
5. When the visitor has arrived at the main office, they should be presented with a proper sign-in procedure. All visitors must provide their name, identification, and the purpose of their visit. This information, along with the time of their visit, should be recorded.
6. Visitor badges must be distributed with instructions to wear them in clear vision. The visitor should also be instructed on where exactly in the building they should be, based on the stated purpose of their visit.
Simplifying visitor management
The best way to manage an entrance, which needs to be locked but also easily accessible to approved visitors, is through the integration of an intercom system.
A single button, which is accurately labelled and grants the visitor a direct line of communication to an available staff member, streamlines the process of screening visitors and creates a safer environment for everyone involved.
An intercom with a video feed allows staff members to hear and see the person attempting to gain access, which further improves the security of the building.
There are several integrated network solutions that can complement the visitor management process and work with existing security systems. IP intercoms, for example, represent a cost-effective method, which combines video and audio communications and seamlessly integrates into existing access control systems or can function as its own access control system. Buildings with existing video management software (VMS) can also work with these intercoms to save records of interactions for future review.
IP-based solutions provide several advantages over traditional hardwired options. Visitors can be screened from anywhere in the school, as staff can answer calls from a host of network devices such as computers, IP phones, mobile devices, or dedicated answering units. Because of this, staff members can ensure
the main entrance is consistently monitored without having to always be at a single desk.
Flexible access control
All school facilities can be outfitted with modern access control systems to limit entry to certain people at certain times of the day.
If a door is propped open, modern access control systems can detect this and issue an alarm or alert building security staff. Some companies offer systems that can integrate with intercom devices and video surveillance systems to maximize convenience and security.
Some systems offer embedded analytics and detection software, which can identify suspicious activity such as loitering and alert school staff remotely.
Modern, integrated solutions allow school security staff to proactively protect their staff and students, while also streamlining operations through automated entry permissions protocols.
Perimeter protection of school grounds
Outdoor perimeter surveillance and protection is essential. This can be used to detect moving persons and moving vehicles without discriminating between vehicle types. Applications for perimeter surveillance and protection reinforce the single point of entry and physical access controls to provide school facility managers and staff with an effective edge-based system where security should start, and that is at the perimeter of the school site.
Nathan Drew is a national sales manager with Axis Communications Canada. Nathan is a surveillance and security leader with several years of demonstrated success leading remote sales teams, consulting, and integration.
