Category: Building Access Control System
Why School Lockdown Systems Are Essential for Safety
Ensuring the safety of students and staff within educational institutions has become a paramount concern in recent years. The increasing frequency of security threats, including active shooter incidents and unauthorized intrusions, has underscored the necessity for robust safety measures. Among these, lockdown systems have emerged as a critical component in safeguarding schools. Implementing lockdown systems serves as a deterrent to potential threats and provides a structured response during crises.
What Are School Lockdown Systems & How Do They Work?
A school lockdown system is a comprehensive security solution designed to quickly secure a facility during emergencies. Its primary function is to restrict access and movement within the school, thereby minimizing potential harm to occupants. Lockdown systems can be activated through various methods, including special card swipes, software-activated initiation (e.g., Milestone, Alertus, IP Phone hotkey), one-touch mobile app buttons, or traditional lockdown buttons.
Lockdown During a Safety Incident
Whether responding to an intruder, an active shooter, or other dangers, lockdowns help minimize risk by keeping people safely inside designated areas until the threat has passed. Schools, workplaces, and public spaces implement these protocols to ensure a swift and coordinated response, prioritizing the safety of everyone on-site.
Understanding School Security Threat Levels
1. All Clear
No active threat; normal operations continue.
This status means there is no danger, and all activities proceed as usual.
2. Event Night
Controlled access for planned events.
This setting allows certain groups to enter with specific doors unlocked, while other security measures, such as ManTrap functions, may be temporarily disabled for ease of access.
3. Elevated Notifications
Potential concern identified; communication initiated.
When a possible issue arises, such as a non-immediate safety concern, notifications are sent to staff and parents, keeping them informed while security personnel assess the situation.
4. Lockout
External threat detected; perimeter secured.
This protocol is used when there is a threat outside the building, such as police activity nearby. All external doors are locked, and access is prevented while normal activities may continue inside.
5. Lockdown
Immediate threat inside; full security measures were activated.
This is the most serious level, used in situations such as an active shooter. All external and internal doors are locked, access is denied to everyone except first responders, strobes are triggered, a lockdown announcement is made over the PA system, and emergency notifications are displayed on public monitors.
These security levels provide a structured, automated response to threats, ensuring the safety of students, staff, and visitors. The ability to customize these levels allows districts to implement security solutions tailored to their unique needs.
Key Benefits of Implementing a Lockdown System in Schools
A well-designed lockdown system provides schools with a critical layer of security, ensuring swift and effective responses to potential threats. Here are the key benefits of having a lockdown system in place:
Enhanced Student and Staff Safety
The primary benefit of a lockdown system is the immediate protection it offers students and staff. By securing entry points and restricting movement within the facility, the system minimizes exposure to potential threats and helps prevent harm.
Faster Emergency Response
Modern lockdown systems integrate with emergency notification platforms, instantly alerting law enforcement, staff, and parents when a lockdown is activated. This reduces response time and ensures coordinated action during crises.
Controlled Access and Intrusion Prevention
Advanced access control systems allow administrators to lock down specific areas or the entire campus instantly. Unauthorized individuals are prevented from entering, helping neutralize threats before they escalate.
Modern access control solutions also enable administrators to customize lockdown responses based on the nature of the threat. For example, a partial lockdown can be activated to secure specific wings or classrooms, while a full lockdown ensures that all entry points are sealed off until law enforcement arrives.
Improved Communication and Coordination
Effective communication is the backbone of any successful emergency response. During a crisis, clarity, speed, and coordination are essential to ensuring that all staff, students, and emergency responders take the right actions at the right time.
Modern lockdown systems are designed to seamlessly integrate with various communication modalities, including intercoms, mobile alerts, public address (PA) systems, and emergency notification platforms, creating a centralized, real-time information network. This multi-channel approach ensures that no one is left uninformed, reducing panic and improving response times.
Increased Deterrence Against Threats
When schools implement security measures, such as clear signage indicating the presence of video surveillance and access control systems, it raises awareness among students, staff, and the surrounding community. This awareness helps build trust and communicates to potential intruders that their actions will likely be monitored and recorded.
Studies have shown that the mere presence of surveillance cameras, controlled entry points, and visible security protocols can significantly lower the likelihood of crimes like vandalism, theft, or even violence.
Seamless Integration with Other Security Measures
Lockdown systems work in harmony with a school’s broader security infrastructure, creating a multi-layered defense mechanism. By integrating with video surveillance, alarm systems, access control, emergency lighting, and AI-driven analytics, these systems provide real-time intelligence and automated responses that significantly enhance overall safety.
Compliance with Safety Regulations
Many state and federal regulations require schools to have emergency preparedness plans, including lockdown procedures. Implementing an advanced lockdown system enhances compliance with safety standards and reduces liability risks.
One key regulation is Alyssa’s Law, which requires public K-12 schools in certain states, including New York, to consider installing silent panic alarms that directly notify law enforcement in emergencies. This law aims to improve response times and enhance school security, with efforts underway to make it a federal law.
While the Clery Act mandates emergency response policies for colleges and universities, K-12 schools follow state-specific requirements for lockdowns and emergency preparedness. Ensuring proper safety measures not only strengthens security but also helps schools meet compliance standards and reduce risk.
Peace of Mind for Parents and Educators
Knowing that a robust security system is in place provides reassurance to parents, teachers, and administrators. It fosters a sense of security, allowing educators and students to focus.
At Digital Provisions, we specialize in designing and implementing state-of-the-art security solutions tailored to your unique needs. Our Lockdown Solution provides rapid response capabilities, securing your facility at the push of a button. Ready to enhance your school’s security? Get a free on-site security assessment today and discover how our lockdown solutions can keep your students safe!
Automatic Building Access Control Systems And How They Work
Often it’s the weather, perhaps a blizzard has dumped an unprecedented amount of snow in your area, or maybe it’s Tropical Storm Reno that just plowed through your local community. Whatever the situation is, along with the local roads, your building is now officially closed until further notice.
Many facilities rely on their Electronic Access Control system to unlock certain doors on a predetermined schedule throughout the workday. It helps employees gain access when needed and helps facilitate movement throughout the building as regular business necessitates. Some examples: The morning shift arrives to begin manufacturing operations for the day, and they are able to enter through the designated employee entrance which has automatically unlocked 15 minutes before their arrival. At the end of the day, the employees leave for home, and the designated door automatically relocks for the night, so your facility remains secure.
But what happens when that blizzard hits at 3 A.M. on a Tuesday? Your employees aren’t coming to work at 8 A.M. like usual, in fact, no one is going anywhere. But your existing Access Control system doesn’t know it snowed, so it opens the doors at 7:45 A.M. and your building is now empty with the exterior doors unlocked.
Modern Electronic Access Control systems, such as those manufactured by S2 (www.s2sys.com), have a simple and effective feature to prevent this very problem. The feature, called ‘First In Unlock,’ dictates that a verified credential must first be presented to the system before the scheduled automatic unlock will happen. Building facility managers, or others who are usually the first to arrive at the building, will be entered into a particular group which signals the system that the building is open for business. If someone from that group has not presented a valid key fob or access badge to any door reader first, then the automatic unlock event will never happen. This functionality can be tied to any access controlled door, or even gates which are set on a schedule.
The ability to leverage this powerful functionality goes even further. For instance, you can have a facility manager group which unlocks the doors to the warehouse floor, and an admins group that signals the system that the doors to the office areas in the building can now auto open. In this way, the back of the building can start operations at 6 A.M., while the front vestibule doesn’t auto unlock until 9 P.M. The same example applies to businesses with multiple facilities, allowing individual buildings to auto open only after certain criteria is met at that location. And what happens if a building needs to close early? No problem at all, just have a user from the designated ‘relock’ group flash his badge at each door currently open on a schedule and the door will relock again for the day.
Unexpected building closings are stressful enough, don’t let your Electronic Access Control system force you to come into work just to lock doors that should never have unlocked in the first place.
Digital Provisions specializes in upgrading legacy Electronic Access Control systems to the latest state of the art IP based systems, all with little or no disruption to your business. Contact us for further information, or if you have any questions at all on ‘First In Unlock’ functionality.