School shootings continue to be a significant problem in the U.S. Another mass shooting incident has everyone discussing this hot-button issue again.
Yet another mass school shooting has taken place in the U.S., and it has re-opened the long debate about school safety and what our options are for protecting our children. Unfortunately, it falls to each individual school to implement security systems and strategies that work for their facility and protect their students while maintaining student privacy and morale.
How many school shootings have taken place in 2023?
According to the K-12 School Shooting Database, there have already been 89 school shootings in the U.S. in 2023. While most of these incidents are not mass shootings, they offer an alarming insight into how serious this issue is and how dangerous our schools have become.
The database shows school shooting statistics dating back to 1970, and 2022 reached a fever pitch with a record-breaking 303 school shootings. At the current rate, 2023 could end with even more total school shootings taking place throughout the year. It’s an overwhelming thought.
What can we learn from the Nashville school shooting incident?
As we seek solutions and our government offers none, we are forced to take on the task of protecting our children from these incidents ourselves. However, school security is a sensitive and difficult issue. There is a fine line between keeping a facility secure and making an educational center for children feel like a prison, and it’s not always obvious where that line is.
One of the problems that come with managing school security is understanding that you can’t protect against everything. Security, especially when it comes to school security, can be overdone. This has the potential to harm the privacy and morale of the students. However, you also can’t limit your security to protect against only the most likely scenarios. Some of the best security practices are flexible and include multiple ways to detect and respond to potentially dangerous scenarios.
How do we maintain security that protects our children?
It is more important than ever that we seek out ways to keep schools safe. There is no miracle solution to this problem—every facility needs to seek out professional advice on best practices as they pertain to that individual facility. There are, however, systems and practices that everyone should consider.
For instance, prioritizing security system integration can make it much easier for schools to keep their buildings secure. A reliable surveillance system that is integrated with access control, fire safety systems, and other security systems can be controlled from a single device by security personnel. This can make it easy to monitor every area of the school and give security or administration a better chance of detecting threats early and stopping them in their tracks.
Another great option is a weapons detection system. These systems are non-invasive and don’t require students to do anything special. They can be set up at entryways in order to scan for potentially threatening items without causing backups at the doors or invading the privacy of the students.
TRUST THE PROFESSIONALS AT ARK SYSTEMS
Located in Columbia, Maryland, ARK Systems provides unsurpassed quality and excellence in the security industry, from system design all the way through to installation. We handle all aspects of security with local and remote locations. With over 30 years in the industry, ARK Systems is an experienced security contractor. Trust ARK to handle your most sensitive data storage, surveillance, and security solutions.
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