COVID-19’s ‘Silver Linings’ for School Safety and Security
School security expert Paul Timm discusses some of the improvements that resulted from the pandemic that will most likely impact campuses for years to come.
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There’s no question that the COVID-19 pandemic we all have been experiencing over the past couple of years has been traumatic and tragic. Nearly a million Americans have died and millions more have lost loved ones as a result of this dreaded disease.
That said, there have been some positive developments in school safety and security that have resulted.
One of them is the elevation of the school security practitioner and physical security from being considered a “necessary evil,” according to FEA Vice President Paul Timm.
“The pandemic kind of made everybody say, ‘Hold on… we need to put our heads together. We need a collaborative approach.’ That has really elevated the standing and amplified the voice of the security practitioner.”
In our discussion, Paul also talks about the elevated roles of:
- Wayfinding, access control, and visitor management: 3:23
- Nurses and mental health: 4:33
- Distance learning: 5:44
- Security technology: 6:57
- New funding that’s now available through CARES and ARPA: 7:51
All of these developments will most likely positively impact school security and safety programs for years to come.
So, let’s hear about some of the positive things that have come out of the pandemic.
Paul Timm will be presenting "School Security Vulnerabilities & Solutions" at the 2024 Campus Safety Conference being held in Atlanta, July 8-10. For more information and to register, visit CampusSafetyConference.com.If you appreciated this podcast and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our FREE digital newsletters!
About the Author
Robin Hattersley, Editor-in-Chief
Robin has been covering the security and campus law enforcement industries since 1998 and is a specialist in school, university and hospital security, public safety and emergency management, as well as emerging technologies and systems integration. She joined CS in 2005 and has authored award-winning editorial on campus law enforcement and security funding, officer recruitment and retention, access control, IP video, network integration, event management, crime trends, the Clery Act, Title IX compliance, sexual assault, dating abuse, emergency communications, incident management software and more. Robin has been featured on national and local media outlets and was formerly associate editor for the trade publication Security Sales & Integration. She obtained her undergraduate degree in history from California State University, Long Beach.
