Guest Article: School Perimeter Security

BLDG#6555 Anderson-Barracks, Dexheim ultrasonic intrusion detection sensor (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

School Perimeter Security & Risk Management

About the Author

Todd Thompson is the Project Manager at 2MCCTV Security, international distributor and supplier of security equipment.  They have supplied numerous school districts with complete security solutions.

Crimes against children have become so commonplace that unless it touches us personally, we are apt to forget how devastating a lapse in school security can be for a community. 

While there are always other pressing issues in schools, such as test scores and budgets, nothing will ever be as important as securing the child’s safety while he is on school grounds or participating in off-campus school events.

On many school campuses, special attention is paid to the security of the building itself and to the students when they are inside.  School boards have made room in their budgets for security cameras and other electronic security systems such as access control (card readers). 

Another important system that many schools have is intrusion detection, or simply, a burglar alarm system, though this more common term may be misleading.  Large intrusion detection systems are much smarter than the typical home burglar system, and the devices that are attached to it are much more sophisticated.

Particularly noteworthy is the long-range beam detectors which are often used to protect rooftop perimeters.  Many schools have entry points from the roof to give passage to workmen who service mechanical equipment on top of the school.  Burglars, and even other more heinous criminals, know that roof entry points exist on most buildings, and they will frequently use this means for breaking into a building trying to escape detection.

Beam detectors use laser patterns to protect a building perimeter.  When the beam is broken by an intruder, it sounds the alarm and alerts police and building personnel to a possible intrusion.  Most beam detection systems are smart enough to see the difference between a small animal or bird, thus protecting the school from frequent false alarms and the “Boy Who Cried Wolf” syndrome.

Another important use of beam detection, though it is not used as often as it should be, is as an invisible fence around the school playgrounds and parking lots. At ground level, beam detection is a way to protect an area from intruders who cross established lines.  While these are much more prone to false alarms because of the children themselves who may be chasing a kickball out into a surrounding property, they are very useful in helping to give playground monitoring personnel a heads-up to the possibility of intrusion.

All security systems have a downside, such as false alarms, but most of the negatives can be mitigated by onsite personnel who can verify whether an alarm is worthy of further investigation or is indeed false. 

One thing a school must not do is become complacent about perimeter security.  Thinking that there are enough teachers or monitors on the playground to keep the perpetrators away from the kids is a dangerous presumption.  If anything distracts the teacher, such as an injury to a child or a bullying incident calling for immediate intervention, the school perimeter is no longer on that person’s radar as a concern.  The post is unguarded, giving the perfect opportunity for intrusion by an evildoer.

Knowing the ways in which a child can be abducted, the most vulnerable locations and times, and how the school can deal with the physical circumstances of its own property characteristics and landscape, puts administrators ahead of the curve in security planning.

The most important thing however is always diligence on the part of school personnel to keep perimeter property security at the forefront of their responsibilities.