Building safer schools with the right infrastructure and physical resources to respond to extreme security threats is a key priority for school districts across the US. Since 2013, there have been at least 575 recorded incidents of gunfire on school grounds. The past decade has sadly been one of the most lethal on record with respect to school shootings, leading to 212 deaths in just seven years. Shoring up our school security practices is crucial if we want to stem the tide of gun violence on campuses through 2020 and beyond.
Exposure to gun violence is a traumatic experience that disproportionately affects American children. Research estimates that around 3 million children in the US are exposed to shootings to some degree every single year. Beyond the obvious risk of injury and loss of life, there are massive psychological ramifications to this that we cannot begin to quantify. So, how can school security play a part in smartly and efficiently building safer school environments?
School Security Products: Deter & Protect
There are various measures that faculties can put in place to make their campuses safer spaces for students. Communicating robust evacuation protocols has always been an essential school security method, stemming from standard fire drills. Video surveillance is now widely utilized in and around school premises across the country, while high-risk schools often hire security personnel to monitor students and deter would-be criminals.
Yet these are measures that have been in place, to varying extents, for decades, and the threats facing our schoolyards are only increasing. Parents widely urge faculties to adopt more robust, physical security measures that provide a surer means of protecting students in the event of an active shooter situation.
Bulletproof school security solutions are increasingly common across the US in 2020. This is in direct response to the threats US schools now face on a regular basis and the need for high-performance security products that do not infringe on the mentality of students. Metal detectors and turnstiles have long been criticized as a necessary evil in many school districts, but they are also seen as so claustrophobic and overbearing that they could negatively impact the performance of students. Despite the risk to children in the US, schools should always be a place of learning rather than a fortress.
Armortex® provides discrete school security solutions that perform when absolutely necessary. The trend towards using additional low-profile security products alongside traditional deterrent measures, such as CCTV, means that pupils are physically protected in the event that shooters are not deterred by even the best-laid infrastructures.
Read More: Bulletproof Products for Schools
We offer a suite of bulletproof products suitable for school security projects of all budgets, with high aesthetic values ensuring that the measures you put in place to protect your pupils never distracts from the learning environment. Our products include:
- Bulletproof Doors: For secure corridors, classrooms, entryways, and saferooms.
- Bullet-Resistant Windows: For external and internal applications.
- Ballistic-Resistant Fiberglass Panels: For easy installation throughout school property.
If you would like more information about the school security solutions that we provide, simply contact a member of the Armortex® team today.
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