Services

School and school district security and safety assessments

School security and safety assessments help school officials identify potential vulnerabilities as well as strengths relating to security and safety for students, staff and visitors. The link between school safety and academic achievement has been firmly established. Safe Havens uses an approach that helps school officials improve security and safety in a way that can help improve test scores, increase time on task and reduce employee and student turnover. 

To enhance the effectiveness of the assessments, our experienced analysts first evaluate written policies and procedures relating to safety and security prior to our on site visits.  We also utilize concise assessment tools that are completed by school administrators prior to our visit. This helps us obtain insight into challenges that each site leadership team may be encountering while maximizing the time we can spend touring facilities at each site. We also research the school or district via the web to gain a better understanding of how the client organization operated before we visit your schools for the assessments. While at the site, we will assess inside building for hazards, vulnerabilities as well as positive aspects of each site that can be expanded.  Depending on the client’s needs, we typically focus on the following areas:

• Evaluation of the neighborhood
• Access points to the campus
• Perimeter access control for building(s)
• Visitor screening procedures
• Security camera systems
• Intrusion alarm systems
• Duress alarm systems
• Interior access control
• Management of space
• Student supervision
• School climate
• “Body language” of the building
• Body language of the staff and students
• Bullying abatement strategies
• Antiterrorism measures
• Opportunities to increase the use of crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED)
• How well the written policies, plans and procedures match actual practice.
• Effective documentation of security and safety procedures
• Opportunities to reduce civil liability
• Emotional security measures

Physical spaces typically evaluated:

• Grounds
• Parking area
• Main lobby
• Main office
• Administrative areas
• Teacher’s lounges
• Classrooms
• Science classrooms
• Physical education areas
• Weight rooms
• Swimming pool(s)
• Media center
• Food service areas
• Cafeteria
• Boiler rooms and mechanical rooms

After the off- and on-site assessments are completed, we provide a draft copy of our written report for each site as well as our overall report if multiple sites are evaluated.  Depending on the number of sites evaluated, our written reports often run between thirty and one hundred pages. Once the client has had the opportunity to review the preliminary report and make comments, we provide a final copy in PDF format.  Our written reports are very detailed, understandable and focus on practical recommendations to enhance safety and security.

We also provide professionally filmed and edited companion video reports which provide a concise and informative summary overview for school superintendents, heads of school and, cabinet and board members who may not have time to read a detailed report. 

Safe Havens analysts have considerable experience in conducting security and safety assessments for public school systems, charter schools and independent schools. Safe Havens uses a far more comprehensive and school-centered approach to security and safety assessments because of our decades of experience as full-time school safety practitioners.  We strive to provide security and safety recommendations that integrate people with technology as appropriate. Our experiences breaching some of the nation’s most highly secured schools during red team assessments can help school officials avoid the unfortunately common problem of experiencing major security incidents after enormous expenditures for security equipment has been installed.

Our global experience affords our clients with the benefits of approaches we have seen utilized in our work in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and other parts of the world as well as our extensive experience working with public, independent and charter schools in the United States. 

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