PASS School Safety and Security Guidelines
Originally published by the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS)
School entrances require constant access by a wide variety of parties, while at the same time, are the most critical area for a school to secure. This creates a surprisingly complex set of issues to address. This white paper provides schools with a workable and comprehensive approach to safe and secure entries based on industry best practices and research.
What the Guidelines Cover
The primary focuses of the PASS Guidelines are physical security and life safety, and recommendations are limited to related policies, procedures, equipment and technology. Modern and effective security infrastructure is an essential element of any comprehensive school safety and security strategy, but not the only element. When other prevention efforts fail, facility security measures are critical to protection, mitigation and response. The Guidelines do not address every risk and every situation and, importantly, do not include product-specific recommendations.
What’s New in the Sixth Edition?
The sixth edition of the PASS Safety and Security Guidelines strengthens our ability to help you develop a safe school plan, including crime prevention tactics, tips for staff training, and guidance on creating a crisis preparation plan. The Guidelines also advise you on how to get more involvement from key stakeholders such as community members, local law enforcement, parents, school board members, staff, and students.
Additionally, the sixth edition of the Guidelines offers new features, including a new Enhanced Technologies section detailing solutions under consideration by many schools and districts that show potential for significant improvements to school safety but may still need to be widely adopted. These include newer technologies in weapons detection, analytics, emergency communications, and biometrics.
Essential Concepts in the PASS School Safety and Security Guidelines
The PASS Guidelines use fundamental concepts throughout the document to help schools evaluate and prioritize their approach to safety and security:
Layers – one of five physical layers
Components – protective element within each layer
Best Practices – recommended safety and security measures within each component
Tier – each best practice is ranked on a tiered continuum, from 1 to 4, with higher tiers indicating increased protection
Each successive layer provides specific components to deter, detect or delay adversarial behaviors in the event that other layers are bypassed or breached.
Communication Company of South Bend is a systems integrator providing security solutions for K-12 education environments. To learn more about integrating security technology into your classroom, visit our dedicated education page or contact a member of our team today.
