School Safety: Fortifying Your Doors and Windows

As summer hits its stride and students enjoy their time off from school, those with procurement responsibilities are likely seizing this quieter period to evaluate budgets and identify any essential items needed for the upcoming school year. However, many local education agencies are short on funds needed to purchase necessary materials, equipment, and technology. 

In Part 1 of our blog series, ‘School Safety: Equipping Your School with Robust Safety Solutions,’ we highlighted the critical importance of conducting a threat assessment to pinpoint vulnerabilities within your school. If you have recently completed such an assessment or are already aware of the risks your school faces, you may have noticed gaps in your physical security measures. However, choosing between physical security measures to implement can be challenging due to limited information about their efficacy. 

If you’re uncertain which aspect of your school’s safety technology needs upgrading first, a great starting point is with the doors and windows. Doors are the primary means of entry into school buildings and individual classrooms, and their mechanisms play a vital role in protecting students and keeping intruders out. Windows are vulnerable to breakage and are another crucial aspect of building security that should be appropriately reinforced. 

Doors serve as entry points to both the exterior and interior of school buildings. While your school’s doors may all be equipped with locking mechanisms, these and other access control methods may need to be amplified to provide sufficient protection for students and faculty. 

Locking mechanisms: One crucial way to protect students and faculty within schools is to ensure that classroom doors are equipped with effective locking mechanisms. If your school’s classrooms can only be locked from the outside, the U.S. Department of Justice recommends investing in doors and/or locks that can be locked from the inside. Doors with push-button or thumb-turn locks are great options. Additionally, doors between connected classrooms should have a locking system and be kept locked except when necessary to access the adjacent classroom. 

Access control solutions: Another method to secure classroom doors is through an electronic access control system. This system can be controlled remotely, always ensures free egress, and allows for seamless and rapid lockdowns. By integrating electronics with door hardware, an access control system enhances safety while helping to eliminate the need for mechanical keys and simplifying access control management. Monitoring these systems also provides more visibility into events occurring in school buildings and classrooms. 

Controlled entry points: To deter unauthorized individuals from entering school campuses, the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recommends limiting the number of entry points to school grounds and stationing security guards at building entrances. Manned entry points increase the effectiveness of access control technology in stopping intruders. After implementing entry point monitoring methods, consider installing universal access boxes near school entrances to securely hold building keys. This enables authorized first responders and staff to quickly access the school without the need to break down doors or windows. 

Visitor access: After limiting entry points into the school building, it is crucial to establish and implement procedures for managing visitors. Directing visitors through a single access point helps minimize unauthorized student pickups, verify visitor identities, and restrict potentially harmful individuals from accessing the facility. It is also recommended for visitors to present government-issued identification and engage with school administrators or security officers. 

School building windows, while they offer inhabitants of those buildings the ability to observe the campus, can also serve as potential entry points or pose risks to those inside. However, there are several products that can enhance the security of these windows. 

Ballistic film: Seeking a way to strengthen your school’s current windows? Ballistic film is a worthwhile investment to heighten security. Applied to the exterior of windows, this film helps prevent complete shattering of a window and can slow down glass fragmentation. Ballistic film supports school security by providing law enforcement more time to respond to a threat and safeguarding students from high-impact incidents. Windows in classroom doors can also be reinforced with this film to prevent forced access. 

Ballistic glass: Are your school’s windows due for a replacement? Ballistic-resistant glass is a great investment to consider if your school district recommends installing it or if your team is researching effective ways to upgrade school security. This glass is recognized as a valuable consideration for high-risk buildings and can better protect students and faculty from incidents like active shooters, burglaries, and explosions than regular glass. 

Hurricane windows: If your school building is along the Gulf of Mexico and is vulnerable to hurricane damage, you may already have hurricane windows, which are stronger than ballistic glass and ballistic film. However, the windows in your school may not all have hurricane protection due to cost considerations. It's important to identify which windows have regular glass and consider reinforcing them with ballistic film. 

Check out this maintenance and security checklist from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for more tips on securing doors and windows. 

If your budget is tight and you’re unsure whether your school can allocate enough funds and resources to strengthen your doors and windows, partnering with a cooperative purchasing organization like OMNIA Partners is an ideal way to score discounts and ease the administrative burden on procurement staff. Additionally, OMNIA Partners can serve as your advisor as you work to meet your district’s spend needs and requirements. 

With a free OMNIA Partners membership, your school can immediately gain access to our portfolio of contracts that have undergone a rigorous request for proposal (RFP) process. These contracts are competitively solicited and publicly awarded, offering a selection of industry-leading products and services to meet your specific needs. Many of these contracts also feature discounts that may not have been otherwise accessible. 

Explore our contract portfolio and see how much you can save on school safety solutions! 

Did you know you could use OMNIA Partners OPUS to buy safety solutions for your doors and windows? OPUS enables users to research and buy from hundreds of suppliers all in one place. With a free OPUS account, you can explore millions of products from door locks to access control solutions and alarms. 

Not sure where to get started? Become a member of OMNIA Partners today and take advantage of your membership benefits!