How Design, Construction Solutions Can Address School Security Threats

Lindsey Coulter — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 23:03:28 +0000

By Lindsey Coulter��

As the Florida State University (FSU) community grapples with the horrific violence and loss of life experienced on April 17, �Ӱ�ԭ��ҕ�l remains committed to promoting school and university design, construction and innovation that helps students and educators thrive and ensures their security.��

While design, construction and materials are critical campus safety components, crisis training is paramount for staff and campus police. In the case of FSU, campus police were prepared to immediately respond and neutralize the violence, quickly communicating with and receiving assistance from other local agencies. All responding agencies were thanked for their speed and support by FSU President Richard D. McCullough in a press conference following the incident.��

“We’re absolutely heartbroken by the violence that occurred on our campus earlier today,” McCullough said. “Our hearts go out to our students and the victims of this terrible tragedy. I have to say that our law enforcement, our FSU police officers, [are] absolute heroes in this regard.”��

While �Ӱ�ԭ��ҕ�l annually dedicates its May/June digital edition to Safety and Security, these topics remain a daily concern. Many design, construction and technology professionals are actively working to fortify education environments without sacrificing student comfort or campus culture. With advanced technologies, stringent access controls, and thoughtful design improvements, design and construction leaders are pioneering safer educational environments.��

Visual Alerts as a School Safety Strategy��

In a 2024 article for �Ӱ�ԭ��ҕ�l, Corey Shelton, vice president of product at Vivi, advocated for visual alerts as an essential campus safety component, providing a critical layer of communication during emergencies so that swift and clear messages reach everyone involved. These systems use clear, attention-grabbing messages to guide students and staff to safety. They are also crucial in settings that serve diverse populations, including English Language Learners or those with hearing impairments.��

Alerts display instructions across screens placed strategically throughout classrooms and common areas, guiding everyone on campus towards clear next steps without confusion. The technology not only enhances the speed of response but also minimizes panic.  In the case of FSU, the university used its existing alert system to direct recipients to shelter in place and later to confirm that the campus was safe.��

“By allowing emergency management systems to trigger statuses in a digital signage and visual alerts system, schools can create a unified network that issues timely alerts using a variety of delivery formats and directs both students and staff during emergencies,” Shelton said. “This coordinated approach speeds up response times, making every second count when safety is crucial.”��

Synchronization of these technologies facilitates rapid reaction to emergencies and bolsters daily communication. It supports consistent safety drills and routine operations, building a strong culture of preparedness. Such integrations support the underlying safety infrastructure, offering peace of mind and allowing the school community to focus on education. ��

Access Design and Emergency Exits��

Some schools, like those in the Chino Valley Unified School District, have installed sophisticated Raptor check-in systems for guests and parents that require an ID to sign in. Photo Credit: C.W. Driver

The May/June 2024 issue also included insights from John Kately, project executive at C.W. Driver Companies, on the shift away from open campuses and toward buildings with more limited access points equipped with a camera, intercom and buzzer system to screen initial contact with visitors. In some cases, schools add another technology layer via keyless badges that work on specialized entry door hardware, or integrate keypads are used that require code access to all classroom and staff doors.��

“Practical improvements to entrances are also important,” Kately wrote, offering the example of Chino Valley Unified School District, which integrated thick tube-steel members with concrete footings, heavy-duty door closer and welded hinges to some school sites.��Exterior emergency exits are required to have panic doors that are designed for a swift and easy exit in case of evacuation, but those same doors designed for fleeing must be outfitted with mesh screens to prevent someone on the outside from reaching over or around the narrow space and opening them.”

Communications and Surveillance����

Additionally, many schools rely on two-way communication systems between floors, classrooms and offices, which can be critical during emergencies.��

“If the need arises, [administrators] can start a lockdown sequence, sealing all campus doors,” Kately said. “This emergency procedure may be due to flagging an intruder who managed to enter without permission but was picked up on one of the many security cameras installed throughout the school.”��

Closed-circuit TV systems have also evolved into state-of-the-art cameras, strategically placed throughout a campus, and of the highest image resolution. An administrator can quickly assess situations using multiple views on their computer.��

To prevent campus shootings in particular, some institutions are aiming to detect and identify violence in the briefest time possible via gunshot detection systems, which pick up on a combination of specific sound, percussion and infrared flash that is the signature of a gunshot.��

“Once detected, the system calls the police directly, not waiting for a shellshocked person on the scene to make that alert,” Kately wrote.��

Watch for more school safety and security innovations in the upcoming 2025 May/June edition of �Ӱ�ԭ��ҕ�l, available in late June.��

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Sequestration Keeps 57,000 from Early Education

WASHINGTON — Nearly 57,000 of the nation’s economically disadvantaged children will be denied access to the Head Start and Early Head Start programs this year due to cuts caused by sequestration.

The federal pre-K education program, which serves low-income families throughout the United States, will take a 5.27 percent hit amounting to 18,000 Head Start staff either losing employment or facing salary cuts. Head Start advocates have said that the depletion in funds, approximately $405 million, has far reaching impacts on the development of at-risk children and their families.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius has called for community action against the cuts.

“For many young children in this country, the road to a better life begins when they enter a high-quality early-learning program like Head Start,” she said in a statement. “When they do, we all benefit because they are better prepared to go to school, start a career and achieve success. But recent events have placed new obstacles on that road.”

Head Start, which serves children aged 3 to 5, was initially launched in 1965 as a summer school program to prepare low-income children for kindergarten. Since then, the program has grown to include Early Head Start, which serves children less than 3 years old, and has served more than 30 million students.

According to the National Head Start Association, students who participate in Head Start programs gain educational, economic and health benefits. Communities benefit from Head Start, the organization said, because children who participate in the programs are less likely to commit crimes when compared to siblings who do participate in Head Start programs.

“The decision to take away funding for high quality early learning for tens of thousands of young Americans is indefensible morally and economically. If we shortchange our children, we shortchange our nation,” Sebelius said in a statement. “Strong early learning can translate into school success, which can lead to college and good jobs, and ultimately a robust economy.”

Sebelius cited research that suggests that for every public dollar spent on early childhood education, communities receive a $7 return through increased productivity and savings on public assistance and criminal justice programs.

“So there is no question that these cuts jeopardize our children’s futures. America now ranks 28th globally in early childhood education enrollment and now risks falling even further behind in preparing our children for school,” Sebelius said in a statement. “We can’t win the race for the future by holding back our children at the starting line.”

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How Design, Construction Solutions Can Address School Security Threats

Sequestration Keeps 57,000 from Early Education