How Schools Can Improve Safety and Security

Updated September 16, 2026.

School safety is a shared responsibility for administrators, parents, staff, and local first responders. There is no single product or policy that makes a campus safe. Widely used frameworks — including the CISA K-12 School Security Guide (3rd ed.) and the PASS K-12 Safety and Security Guidelines — describe school security as a layered system combining people, policies, and technology across the district, property perimeter, parking lot, building perimeter, and classroom interior. This guide summarizes practical steps administrators can take within that framework.

Start With a Risk Assessment, Not a Product

Before purchasing cameras or door hardware, both PASS and CISA recommend a documented vulnerability assessment. CISA provides a free, web-based School Security Assessment Tool (SSAT) designed to walk local education agencies through this process. The SSAT asks about school context, then guides users through scenarios (for example, an active assailant during arrival, or a bomb threat during class) and the security measures in place at each relevant layer, producing a tailored set of improvement options.

An assessment tells you what your specific building actually needs. As a hypothetical example, a rural K-8 with a single main entrance and no perimeter fence has very different priorities than a large suburban high school with multiple athletic entrances and a shared parking structure. Skipping this step often leads to spending on visible technology while leaving basic gaps — an unlocked side door, unmarked classroom windows, no interior room numbering — unaddressed.

The Layered Model

PASS organizes recommendations into five physical layers and sorts each recommendation into Tiers 1–4, where Tier 1 is a baseline that all schools should work toward and higher tiers require more planning and budget. The five layers are:

1. District-wide — policies, emergency operations plans, training, anonymous reporting.
2. Property perimeter — signage, fencing, exterior lighting, exterior cameras.
3. Parking lot perimeter — traffic control, visibility, surveillance of arrival and dismissal.
4. Building perimeter — entry vestibules, door hardware, visitor screening.
5. Classroom/interior perimeter — classroom locks, interior signage, communication devices.

Each layer is meant to deter, detect, or delay a threat if an earlier layer is bypassed. Our overview of school security systems for K-12 and campus walks through how cameras, access control, visitor management, and mass notification map onto these layers.

Baseline Practices to Confirm First

The PASS Guidelines identify several practices that are already required by federal or state law or that are widely implemented, and assume they are in place before Tier 1 investments. Confirm the following before adding new technology:

• Your district has adopted the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Incident Command System (ICS), and maintains an Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).
• All staff — not only administrators — know how to initiate a lockdown or other emergency procedure.
• An anonymous reporting channel exists for students and community members. PASS notes that some states, such as Colorado, mandate tip line programs in public schools.
• Current building floor plans and key facility information have been shared with local law enforcement, fire, and EMS.
• Auxiliary buildings (transportation yards, warehouses, admin centers) have their own security plans, not just the main instructional buildings.
• Facilities meet current fire and life-safety codes. Nebraska's technical assistance guide, for instance, points to the State Fire Marshal's Title 153 regulations as the reference standard; check the equivalent authority in your state.
• Interior and exterior signage is standardized. Nebraska's guidance recommends interior room numbers at eye level and numbered clockwise, with matching exterior numbers visible on or near classroom windows so responders can locate a room from outside.

Have the district’s responsible safety team and advisers identify current state and local requirements before selecting hardware. Record the applicable authority and adoption date in the project requirements. A vendor’s summary or another district’s equipment list is not a substitute for that review.

Common Security Technologies and What to Ask About Them

The following categories appear across both the PASS and CISA guides. The right specification depends on your assessment results, existing infrastructure, and staff capacity.

Video Surveillance

Useful for investigation after an incident and for monitoring exterior areas during arrival, dismissal, and after hours. Practical questions to answer before buying:

• Which layers (property, parking, building perimeter, interior corridors) actually need coverage based on the assessment?
• How long will footage be retained, and does that meet state records requirements?
• Who has access, and how is that access logged?
• If cloud-managed, what happens to live viewing and recording during an internet outage?
• Are cameras placed to cover doors and choke points, or only open hallways?
• The CISA SSAT specifically asks whether local law enforcement has access to CCTV feeds. If you want to enable that, plan the technical and policy work in advance.

Access Control and Visitor Management

Entry vestibules with a secondary locked door, combined with a visitor management system (VMS), are among the most commonly recommended building-perimeter controls. Points to clarify with any vendor:

• Can all exterior doors be locked from a single action during a lockdown?
• How are lost credentials revoked, and how quickly?
• Does the VMS check visitors against required lists (for example, sex offender registries or custody restrictions), and who maintains those lists?
• How are contractors, substitutes, and after-hours users handled?
• Does the system distinguish between the main building and modular units, which the SSAT treats as separate policy questions?

Classroom Door Hardware

State law and fire code often dictate what is allowed here. Aftermarket barricade devices may conflict with fire and ADA codes, so confirm any classroom locking solution with your local fire marshal and code official before installation.

Environmental Sensors

Vape and aggression sensors are increasingly marketed for restrooms and locker rooms where cameras are not permitted. Before deploying, decide:

• Who receives the alerts, and what is the documented response?
• How are false positives handled so staff don't begin ignoring alarms?
• What data is stored, and does it comply with student privacy law?

Because these sensors are relatively new, ask vendors for reference sites in comparable districts rather than relying on marketing claims.

Mass Notification and Two-Way Communication

Notification systems should reach classrooms, offices, outdoor areas, and buses, and should let any staff member — not only administrators — initiate an alert. Integration with 911 and information-sharing with responders is addressed in NFPA 3000, the Standard for an Active Shooter/Hostile Event Response (ASHER) Program.

Policies, Training, and Climate

Technology has limited value without the human components. Both PASS and Nebraska's technical assistance guide emphasize:

• A designated safety and security team that includes administrators, educators, health and mental-health staff, facilities and transportation staff, and local law enforcement and fire/rescue. The team should meet on a regular schedule and document its work.
• Standardized response language. Many districts adopt the "I Love U Guys" Foundation's Standard Response Protocol (Lockdown, Lockout, Evacuate, Shelter, Hold) so students, staff, and responders share vocabulary.
• Behavioral threat assessment. Practical guidance on structuring threat assessment teams is available in the U.S. Department of Education and Secret Service Threat Assessment Guide, which stresses a fact-based approach focused on behaviors rather than profiles.
• Climate and culture measurement. Anonymous climate surveys help identify problems (such as high rates of bullying) that no camera will catch. Protect student privacy when using surveys.
• Coordination with mental health resources in the community so that identified concerns have somewhere to go.

Funding

Funding sources vary significantly by state and year, and program rules change. Rather than assume a specific federal or state program is currently accepting applications, check directly with:

• Your state department of education's school safety office.
• Your state homeland security or emergency management agency, which often administers pass-through federal grants.
• Local bond and levy authorities.
• Your property insurer, which may offer premium considerations for specific controls.

Because eligibility criteria and matching requirements differ, confirm current terms with the awarding agency before scoping a project around a particular grant.

A Reasonable Sequence for Most Schools

If your district is starting from a limited baseline, a defensible order of work — consistent with PASS Tier 1 guidance and the CISA SSAT — is:

1. Complete a documented assessment (SSAT or an equivalent).
2. Confirm the baseline items listed above, including signage, EOPs, and staff lockdown training.
3. Establish a single, controlled main entry with visitor screening.
4. Verify every classroom can be locked from inside without opening the door, within state code.
5. Add or upgrade exterior and entry-area camera coverage tied to a documented retention and access policy.
6. Deploy a mass notification method that any staff member can trigger.
7. Schedule recurring drills that include local responders and incorporate lessons learned back into the plan.

Higher-tier measures — such as weapons detection, security operations centers, or district-wide integrated platforms — should follow, not replace, the baseline. Both PASS and CISA are explicit that not every school needs the most advanced tier, and that resources are usually better spent completing lower tiers thoroughly than partially implementing higher ones.

Conclusion

School security is a process, not a purchase. Start with an assessment, confirm the baseline policies and drills are actually in place, and use a layered framework like PASS or the CISA K-12 Guide to prioritize investments. If you'd like help interpreting an assessment or mapping technology options to a specific building, contact Monarch Connected to schedule a walkthrough with our education team.

For the next planning step, see Types of CCTV Cameras: What Actually Works Where. Contact Monarch with the site requirements to discuss the next step.

Frequently asked questions

Where should a school begin?

Start with the district’s approved planning process and a site assessment involving the people responsible for daily operations and emergency response. Identify a specific gap before selecting equipment.

Should schools use a single technology for every problem?

No single device covers prevention, visitor management, communications and response. Assign each proposed measure a defined purpose and test how it fits the wider plan.

How should a new alert system be tested?

Coordinate the test with district leadership, responders and the provider. Use an announced scenario that verifies delivery, location information and the assigned response without causing an unintended emergency dispatch.

How often should the plan be revisited?

Follow the district’s applicable requirements and review process. Revisit affected procedures when staffing, building use, communications or equipment changes, and document lessons from exercises.