School’s Out, But Security’s Not: Preparing for K-12 Summertime Security

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As the weather grows warmer and the summer months draw closer, plenty of people are looking forward to kicking back and relaxing — especially those who work in schools. However, when it comes to security, the vacation season doesn’t mean the threats have taken time off.

“In K-12 environments, the risk profile undergoes a fundamental shift once the final bell rings,” says Tom Fischer, Head of Solutions Engineering, Public Sector at Ambient.ai. “During the school year, the focus is on life safety, student behavior and unauthorized visitors. However, during the summer, campuses are often completely shuttered, which means no students, staff or regular visitors are on-site during the week.”

While it may seem at a first glance that the threats would decrease during the summer, as there is less consistent foot traffic on campus, the reality is that the threats don’t decrease — they shift.

Paul Timm, Director of Education Safety for Allegion, is a board-certified Physical Security Professional (PSP), author of School Security: How to Build and Strengthen a School Safety Program, and a nationally acclaimed expert in physical security. He is also a member of PASS, NCSSD, ASIS International’s School Safety & Security Council and the IASBO (Illinois Association of School Business Officials) Risk Management Committee. He hosts The Changing Face of School Security podcast, highlighting tools & resources from the changemakers in the K-12 industry. *Image courtesy of Timm*

Tom Fischer, Head of Solutions Engineering, Public Sector at Ambient.ai — Tom Fischer has spent 20-plus years in the security industry, working with government entities. His past roles include leading product management and sales engineering teams. He is currently heading the Solutions Engineering for Public Sector team at Ambient.ai, a leader in AI physical security solutions. *Image courtesy of Fischer*

“It isn’t necessarily that risks go down in the summer; rather, the ‘operating profile’ of the building changes,” explains Paul Timm, Director of Education Safety at Allegion. “During the school year, schools often have a set rhythm and a predictable schedule (like 8:00 am to 3:30 pm). In the summer, the building is often open for varied reasons and times, like summer classes, cleaning, renovations and special projects. Because the routine is different, schools often encounter new and additional vulnerabilities that they aren’t always prepared to address in the same way they do during the academic year.”

Vulnerabilities during the school year are typically related to the safety of students, teachers and staff. While this concern lessens considerably during the summer months, other vulnerabilities take the forefront.

“While the ‘people’ risk diminishes, the property risk skyrockets,” says Fischer. “An empty campus is a target for vandalism, theft and arson. The challenge is that without eyes on the ground, a broken window or a perimeter breach might go unnoticed for days, leading to compounding damage. We move from managing a busy community to protecting a vulnerable, static asset.”

Throughout the year, schools often deal with barriers to security such as insufficient budgets for technology or staffing. These barriers can be amplified during the summer months as well as met with new struggles that security leaders must consider.

Lack of Human Resources

“During the school year, security is human-heavy. You have School Resource Officers (SROs) on-site and maybe a Security Operations Center (SOC), depending on size of school campus and district, that is likely staffed daily to manage the ‘noise’ of a thousand students. These resources are essential for real-time response to immediate safety incidents,” states Fischer. “In the summer, those human resources often scale back significantly due to budget or scheduling. This creates a dangerous gap. While the need for monitoring remains, the capacity to do it manually vanishes. This is where legacy systems fail; they rely on human attention that isn’t there, turning thousands of expensive cameras into passive “post-incident” recording devices rather than active tools for prevention”

In K-12 environments, the risk profile undergoes a fundamental shift once the final bell rings.

Laid-Back Visitor Management

“During the school year, schools often try to keep all exterior doors locked and funnel everyone through the main entrance to be screened in a secured vestibule by an administrative assistant utilizing visitor management software. In the summer, it can be easy to lose that process,” warns Timm. “For example, doors may be propped open for renovation projects or for contractors to move equipment. With unpredictable comings and goings or contract worker turnover, processes may be relaxed during summer, whereas schools would likely never allow that during the school year.”

Properly Securing Schools During the Summer

If schools aren’t mindful of the differing summertime threats, they run the risk of leaving their buildings exposed.

Security leaders can start by shifting their mentality when it comes to risk mitigation. While the potential threats of the school year should still be present and considered, the main focus can switch to the building itself.

“When students and staff depart, the security program must pivot toward perimeter integrity and asset protection,” asserts Fischer. “The priority shifts to detecting early indicators of graffiti, break-ins, unauthorized person presence, and environmental hazards like fire.”

When the focus shifts and the warm weather makes people think of beach vacations and fun travel plans, how do schools ensure security measures are upheld and followed with the same rigor as the school year? Security leaders can take steps now to reaffirm the importance of existing security processes to school employees.

“It comes down to anticipation and standardization,” says Timm. “Whoever oversees safety needs to anticipate that the operating profile is going to change and adjust practices accordingly. We should strive for as much consistency as possible. Even if a contractor is working in the back of the building, schools should require them to report to the main entry and go through the same visitor management software and protocols that those schools use during the school year.”

While security must remain vigilant after the school year ends, that doesn’t mean it has to be stressful. Through preparation and established processes, security leaders can help staff shift focus, maintain their security-oriented mentality, and do all of this while still enjoying the excitement that summer brings.

https://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/102206-schools-out-but-securitys-not-preparing-for-k-12-summertime-security