5 Best Practices for a Successful Security Plan:
1. Identify multiple threat environments:Each campus will need protection from a wide range of potential threats. The security planning process begins by identifying the people and things that require protection. The second step identifies the threats that could harm those people and things. The third step assesses the current campus vulnerability to individual threats and estimates the probability of their occurrence.
2. Use multiple risk reduction tools: Most security problems have a variety of solutions ranging from school policy to electronic and physical protection measures. Persons who assess security must identify the right tools, prioritize their importance and assist in identifying the relative cost effectiveness among alternative measures. A prioritized security plan will ensure the effectiveness of security expenditures as funding becomes available.
3. Cater each security plan to the specific campus: Threats and vulnerabilities will differ at each campus. Security plans must be individually created to fit the specific needs of each campus. One size does not fit all.
4. Communicate with the appropriate stakeholders: Creating and implementing a security plan will require ongoing communication. This task is complicated because it must occur in a cross-disciplinary environment. The person coordinating this process must be able to communicate effectively with a variety of fiefdoms, including students, faculty, school administrators, school district managers, HR and school board members. This process is similar to that used by safety managers.
5. Stay current on trends, and know your limits: An effective security plan requires understanding and buy-in. This cannot occur unless all key players have the required knowledge to support their role. Students must know how to report problems that might affect their campus. They will need to be sold on the value of this responsibility. Faculty and staff will need to fully understand their role in seeing and reporting a variety of security related vulnerabilities. Campus and district administrators and school board members
will need training to develop a solid overview of their security needs and available solutions for each campus along with the potential ROI.
The security coordinator will need the broadest understanding of this discipline. School security measures are constantly changing. The coordinator will need to stay current with these changes. The coordinator must also know the limits of his or her knowledge. For example, security coordinators will generally not have the depth of knowledge to design an electronic security system. Skilled outside security consultants can be very helpful in providing staff training and filling in these knowledge gaps. A wise coordinator must know when to reach out.
