Guarding the Front Door: School Visitor Management Best Practices K-12 campuses should combine building design, video surveillance, guest management systems, policies, procedures and staff training.

Schools across the country are facing problems in regard to front entrance safety and security. Many school sites were constructed earlier, which brought campus safety and security to the attention of administrators, boards of education and the general public. Many of these school sites have lobbies that fail to prevent unwanted and unscreened persons from entering portions of the school that should be secured from unauthorized persons.

To further complicate the issue, many schools do not properly screen visitors. All of these factors increase the possibility of unwanted persons entering the campus and causing an incident that is unsafe for students and staff members. Many lobbies or entry points to school campuses were simply not constructed in a manner consistent with good security measures. Schools were previously designed to create a warm and inviting atmosphere to promote a positive learning environment as well as a welcoming appearance for parents and community members.

As such, school officials are now faced with the daunting task of securing these sites from potential offenders while maintaining the feel-good environment that has become the norm for schools. Fortunately, there are several viable options to significantly improve security without creating an institutional atmosphere.

Security improvements can range from the complete remodeling of existing lobbies to simply rearranging furniture and workspaces to better control visitor traffic.  Various technologies are emerging that can significantly reduce the chances of unwanted visitors from accessing a campus. These solutions can deter potential evil doers from targeting a site based on a lack of security measures. 

Having good security practices and procedures in place can also greatly increase security and staff awareness. Additionally, these measures do not carry the high cost of construction or technology implementation.

Consider Design and Lobby Layout Changes
Newer school campuses are being designed and constructed based on solid security principles. Lobbies are designed in a manner that allows staff to control how visitors are greeted, and access is controlled though a variety of physical barriers, such as walls, doors, and casework and furniture layout. These sites have built-in security simply due to their design. 

There are many older schools, however, that are not nearly as fortunate and have wide open lobbies that essentially allow a visitor to walk from the entry door to the lobby right onto the campus. To further add to the problem, front office staff have been reduced due to budget cuts, and frequently lobbies are left unattended for periods of time allowing immediate access to secured parts of the campus. Facility improvements can reduce the open effect and assist in controlling visitor movements and entry.

Keeping in mind all pertinent fire and life safety codes, casework and furnishings should be deployed in a manner that requires a visitor to contact office staff. Even if the staff member has stepped away from the desk, the layout will imply to the visitor that access must be granted before moving past the front desk. This can be further reinforced through clearly posted signs indicating that all visitors must sign-in and present identification prior to entering the campus.

If funding is available, front lobby remodeling may be in order. Wide open corridors can be closed with storefronts that provide the necessary fire safety egress measures while ensuring unauthorized persons are not permitted through the lobby without being properly vetted. Glass storefronts with required panic hardware can greatly assist in making a school much more secure while still maintaining an open and inviting atmosphere.

A less expensive option from adding storefronts or completely remodeling a lobby would be the addition of pony walls (half walls) with swing doors. The pony wall clearly establishes the lobby’s waiting area and secured area. It will not prevent someone from entering who has intent, but it does a very good job of establishing boundaries for parents and visitors.

Video Surveillance Can Address Many Problems
Technology gets better every day. Not a day goes by that a new safety and security product is not advertised. Quite simply, there is a technology that can solve almost any security problem at your school site. The trick is determining what technologies you need to improve safety and security in your district, and where they should be installed or deployed. Every district will have different and specific needs, and if you fail to plan your security features, you will end up spending thousands of dollars on technologies that over perform or under deliver.

The most noticeable security technology is the video camera. Video cameras are a great deterrent. They can be used to identify an offender after an incident has occurred.

Video cameras, however, should not be relied on to stop or mitigate a crime that is occurring. One of the most significant problems with video camera placements is that they may prompt staff members to develop a false sense of security. Cameras will deter someone who is concerned about getting caught . A person who is determined to commit violence against a school site and is not concerned with the consequences, as is the case with most active shooters, will most likely not be deterred by a video surveillance system.

Staff members should be trained to use security cameras. Administrators, receptionists and security personnel should constantly be monitoring camera feeds throughout the day. A front lobby receptionist can easily have an active camera feed monitoring the front of the school at their workstation. Although there is no expectation to constantly watch the video, they can glance at it periodically throughout their workday. Everyone is responsible for site security, and by periodically checking cameras, every employee can participate in the process.

Selecting a camera system can be a very difficult process. There are several different systems available, and it is imperative schools take time to look at multiple systems and select a system that meets their needs. System selection should involve a representative from the information systems department.

The system the school selects needs to be easy to use. There are systems that can perform all kinds of functions, but most of those functions simply are not going to be utilized by the school. Quite frankly, most site administrators will only use their camera systems on rare occasions, and having an expensive system with all the bells and whistles will most likely not be used to its potential. Keep it simple and they will use it.

Consider an Upgraded Lobby Management System
Most schools are still utilizing paper and pen to sign in visitors at the front desk. Along with signing visitors in, many schools require the visitor to present some form of identification. Recently, several companies have developed lobby management programs specifically for schools to sign visitors and faculty in and out of school sites.

Most systems function in a similar manner. The visitor is contacted by staff in the front lobby who will request a government-issued form of identification. Once the visitor is cleared, the system prints an adhesive pass that can be affixed to the visitor’s shirt so all staff members are aware the visitor has been approved for site access through the front office.

Policy, Procedures and Training Are Critical
Implementing technology, improving facilities and providing safety systems is only the first step in better securing a school site. These practices must be memorialized in solid policy, and employees must be trained to fully utilize the new procedures. When staff is not trained in the use of the technology, its usefulness will rapidly deteriorate. As one employee stops using the system, more employees will revert to old practices or simply cease to use the new technology.

It’s also important to note that proper security procedures do not decrease workload on any employee. To the contrary, proper security practices add additional duties and responsibilities to all employees. 

Staff should be kept fully aware of new technology and the reasons for it. Providing updates as the system is implemented is a great way to keep employees informed of what types of systems are on the horizon and what their responsibilities will be. Keeping employees informed during implementation will greatly reduce the amount of resistance that change in the work place typically brings. As the technology becomes available, employees should be trained and retrained in its proper use. A point of contact should be assigned to address any questions staff may have for the first several months to ensure that everyone can have problems or questions addressed immediately. Allowing questions to grow stagnant is a sure-fire way to start down the road to failure.

As staff becomes trained and familiar with the technology and expectations, policies should be created to support the use of the new technology. Security practices cannot be suggestions or optional. The use of all available technology to secure sites must be mandatory, and all staff members must use the technology in order to reduce vulnerabilities in the system through lack of use.

An example of vulnerability creation occurs when one or two employees do not use the systems that are in place. Any person with criminal intent could easily become familiar with which employees are using solid security principles and which ones are not using the systems in place. Armed with that knowledge, any well-prepared criminal could simply plan their attack during a time when the employee who is known to not follow procedures is working.

Security Is Everyone’s Job
Security practices, specifically lobby management strategies, are every employee’s responsibility. schools should look at possible remodeling or workflow designs to reduce the opportunity for unauthorized persons to access a school site. Lobbies should be arranged so secure areas are clearly established and marked to reduce the visitor’s ability to wander into protected areas.

Technology should be fully utilized to augment facility design to make sites as secure as possible. As new practices and procedures are implemented, schools must provide ample training opportunities and create policies that mandate all employees utilize the procedures in place. Using multiple methods, school sites can be secured without creating an institutionalized appearance that could undermine a positive learning environment.