March 9, 2009—School administrators across the United States take seriously their responsibility for ensuring school security, as shown in the newly released 2008 National School Safety Study, a joint project of the American Association of School Administrators and Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies, in consultation with RETA Security, Inc.
The study assesses the status of security in the nation’s K-12 public schools, based on a survey of school leaders nationwide.
Over the past decade, districts have made significant strides in developing effective school security processes and programs. The study reveals that more than 90 percent of districts responding to the survey have written crisis procedures addressing protocols for fire, weather, medical emergencies and violence.
Three-quarters of respondents possess and make parents aware of systems that will be used to communicate with parents in case of emergency. Seventy-three percent of respondents report that their districts practice lockdown procedures on a routine basis. Approximately two-thirds of respondents report that staff are continuously trained and drilled on security procedures.
As a follow-up to the study, AASA, Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies and RETA Security Inc. are discussing how to best leverage the results to the advantage of America’s school communities. Potential plans include regional training initiatives for AASA members, which would also encompass actionable programming for areas that need no additional financial resources.
The full survey results are available on the AASA Web site. Tee online audit tool is available free of charge to all schools.
