Now more than ever, schools need greater security to protect students, staff and visitors from violence and crime. From a physical security standpoint, it is essential that all K-12 schools have comprehensive master security plans that are unique to their campuses, locations, and buildings.
Syda Productions for Canva Teams
All school campuses have layers that need physical protection which include bordering property, school grounds, the perimeter of school buildings, and the interior footprint of these buildings. Just as protection needs to be at every layer of a school campus, physical security is an essential layer to the master security plan that cannot be overlooked.
A successful master physical security plan for K-12 schools includes practical and thorough policies and procedures along with well-trained security personnel with clear roles to implement the policies and procedures. The physical security plan also needs integrated security technology systems that provide access control and video surveillance. Every school also has hundreds of doors, locks and keys that need to be secured and managed. One important layer of physical security technology is electronic key control.
Electronic key control is an important security technology layer that provides access control and asset management for the interior footprint and perimeter layers of school campuses. These systems manage and track all the keys, and the assets they protect. Keys are assigned to only authorized individuals who obtain them for use by entering credentials into the system. The keys allowed for release light up and are immediately available for removal and usage.
Besides providing access control, asset management, and better security, let’s explore three other reasons why electronic key control systems are an essential layer of physical security for K-12 schools:
Reason #1: Key Control Systems Improve Productivity and Accountability
Electronic key control systems securely store the inventory of keys at K-12 schools where each key can be individually assigned to users and tracked through the system’s software. Since users need to be authorized to use specific keys at specific times or other criteria, their credentials grant them access to remove and return keys from the cabinet. When a key is overdue being returned, notifications are sent to key control administrators so action can be taken immediately. This saves time, improves productivity, and adds accountability for school administrators when keys do not go missing and are not at risk of being used by unauthorized individuals. Audit reports are available to download instantly as well.
Reason #2: Key Control Systems Help Schools Provides Compliance with FERPA
School records including academic files, data, and medical information all need to be stored and accessed in compliance with FERPA (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act). Key control systems provide administrators with the capability of knowing where all keys are, who uses them, and for what purposes. Keys to computer server rooms and records storage areas are all managed and tracked, allowing administrators to ensure that these records are kept private and accessed only for specific purposes with appropriate compliance permissions. With electronic key control systems, records are kept where they belong and provide the physical security needed to meet FERPA regulations.
Reason #3: Key Control Systems Provide Immediate Access to Keys for First Responders
When an emergency is unfolding, and schools are on lockdown, emergency responders still need access to all lockdown areas. Missing keys prevent first responders from being able to open doors to rescue students and staff members. A solution is to place all master keys and key fobs in an easily accessible key control cabinet specifically for first responders in a convenient known location. A school physical security planning process that informs first responders ahead of emergencies about the process of obtaining the keys from the key control system saves precious time in rescue efforts instead of searching for the person with them who may not be readily available.
Including a key control policy and including electronic key control as another important layer of security for K-12 schools also reaps the benefits of time and cost savings when keys are secured and tracked and used only for the purposes in which they are intended. Electronic key control integrates with other school security systems to provide actual time data when the systems are synced. Layering school security technology along with key control ensures that physical security is maximized and complete, creating safer and more secure environments that protect students, faculty, and visitors 24 and 7.
Read Our School Key Control Playbook
