Campus ID News
Card, mobile credential, payment and security
FEATURED
PARTNERS

PASS' guidelines for school safety, security

Industry experts, vendors provide resource for security implementation

Andrew Hudson   ||   Apr 17, 2015  ||   

Campus security is arguably the most important service that a school or university can provide for its students. There is a plethora of ways in which educational institutions can address security, but for the K-12 space in particular, implementing the proper measures can be a daunting and confusing task.

The folks at the Security Industry Association (SIA) and the National Systems Contractors Association (NSCA) know this all too well, and with the help of a host of other industry stakeholders, have devised a way for K-12 schools to access the information they need to implement effective campus security measures.

The background

In 2013, SIA launched a working group focused on identifying ways to enhance school security. The following year, SIA partnered with NSCA to turn that group into a more robust organization bringing together members of the security industry, school officials and law enforcement. The goal was to develop a coordinated approach to protecting K-12 students and educators.

It was from this collaboration that SIA and NSCA formed the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS), a program that will combine each organization’s respective school safety programs, along with NSCA’s mass notification and emergency communications task forces, to provide valuable insight and perspective to schools nationwide. The goal for PASS is to create a powerful resource that will help integrators and schools alike to implement the most appropriate and effective security technologies.

The PASS K-12 initiative is being led by a steering committee of industry veterans that includes:

  • Chairman: Brett St. Pierre, director of education solutions, HID Global,
  • Vice chairman: Jim Crumbley, president and CEO, Risk Response Team, Inc.
  • Steering committee directors:
    • Chuck Wilson, manager special projects and partnerships, SIA
    • Ron Hawkins, executive director, NSCA
    • Scott Lord, director of innovation, All Systems

PASS’ steering committee members have played a pivotal role in the planning and drafting of the K-12 safety guidelines document. Additionally, the committee draws from a wealth of industry knowledge and experience.

“On the larger committee we have 25 people ranging from manufacturing personnel, system integrators, consultants, law enforcement, end users and organizations like Safe and Sound,” says HID’s director of education solutions and PASS chairman, Brett St. Pierre.

Safe and Sound is a non-profit organization founded by parents, educators and community members in the wake of the Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. The organization’s founder, Michelle Gay is working alongside PASS as well to help spread the word about the safety guidelines and resources being offered by PASS.

A security cheat sheet

At the heart of the PASS initiative is a reality that schools across the country have to grapple with; school officials are rarely experts in physical security. With this in mind, PASS is looking to bridge that gap.

Specifically, school administrators must answer two basic questions when planning to implement security systems: What should we do? And how do we pay for it?

With this in mind, PASS has developed a document entitled, Safety and Security Guidelines for K-12 Schools.

Through these guidelines, PASS will focus on addressing both ongoing and emerging threats to students and educators and will provide education regarding security and life safety best practices. The organization will also offer guidance to educators and security professionals en route to identifying the following:

  • Guidelines and standards
  • Best practices for security technology applications
  • Technological advances
  • Skills building opportunities
  • Solutions to funding challenges

“A lot of schools have little funding and lack knowledge of the tech out there,” says HID’s St. Pierre. “For example, there are facilities employees that have been managing metal keys all their lives. This gives schools additional guidelines to help with things like that.”

Related Posts

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter

RECENT ARTICLES

High school bathroom

Bathroom breaks tracked by campus ID and mobile app

At California’s Fresno High, a new app is authorizing and monitoring trips to the bathroom in an effort to increase students’ time in class and decrease gathering in halls and bathrooms. Of course, this has not gone over well with students. Raising your hand and asking the teacher if you can go to the bathroom […]
Atrium Ozzi container

Atrium clients track check-out and return of reusable containers at OZZI kiosks

The push to reduce or even eliminate single-use containers from campus dining is now easier for Atrium clients. Thanks to a seamless integration between Atrium and the OZZI reusable container program, the processes for both students and dining services is streamlined. Atrium clients have been using OZZI for years, but the two systems were independent. […]
HID report snapshot

Security industry’s top trends include mobile IDs, MFA and sustainability

The 2024 State of the Security Industry Report from HID Global studies trends and changes in the security industry. This year six major themes emerged surrounding mobile identity, multi-factor authentication, biometrics, AI, and sustainability. The research includes data from more than 2,500 individuals – partners, end users, and security/IT personnel – from around the globe. Respondents […]
CIDN logo reversed
The only publication dedicated to the use of campus cards, mobile credentials, identity and security technology in the education market. CampusIDNews – formerly CR80News – has served more than 6,500 subscribers for more than two decades.
Twitter

Feb. 1 webinar explores how mobile ordering enhanced campus life, increased sales at UVA and Central Washington @Grubhub @CBORD

Join Jeff Koziol and Robert Gaulden from @AllegionUS as we explore how mobile credentials and proptech are changing on- and off-campus housing.

Load More...
Contact
CampusIDNews is published by AVISIAN Publishing
315 E. Georgia St.
Tallahassee, FL 32301
www.AVISIAN.com[email protected]
Use our contact form to submit tips, corrections, or questions to our team.
©2024 CampusIDNews. All rights reserved.