For many communities, this week marked the beginning of a new school year. Yesterday was day one for my elementary-school-aged children.Being a fan of education, I enjoy my kids starting a new year and the excitement that comes with learning who their teachers will be and what the next year will be like for them. My wife, who works out of our home, particularly noticed their absence after the summer months together and missed them as the house became a very different place. The good news is after about 8 hours, they arrive back at home and we can enjoy them once again. This is an experience I’m sure many of you remember or are living through this month as well.

School Security Efforts

Being in the security industry, I have a different perspective whenever I witness or am subjected to security processes or technologies. Our school has made a few changes since last year to increase security. I am grateful our school has a policy that you have to check in and be badged if you are walking around the school in the middle of the day. Apparently, the new system this year is better and a new self-serve kiosk should reduce wait times to obtain the badge. Our public school also moved some walls to provide a better view of the front entrance from the main administration office. This seems like a no-brainer that should have been done years ago. But then again, years ago, we didn’t have the same security concerns in America that we do today. I recognize that schools in rougher parts of town or in bigger cities may have more security in place than our school has, but they too likely have more security than they did 10 years ago.

And that’s what we want, right? A safe and secure school where our educators teach and our children feel inspired and comfortable to learn. We want to see our kids return home in pretty much the same condition as when we dropped them off. That’s the tacit agreement we have with our schools, be they private or public. So then how much security is enough? These are our kids, right? We’d give/spend anything to keep them safe. I think schools by and large do a good job of assessing threats and spending appropriately. We don’t need security officers at our kids’ school, but some campuses probably do and so they have them. That said, I think there are oversights, negligence, ignorance, and insufficient resources at times that lead to weak or compromised security. Austin I.S.D. just approved its 2010-11 budget yesterday, and I wonder if there was enough for security.

Living “If you see something, say something”

The good news is not every security effort costs a bunch of money. For instance, we parents can have a good impact. This can be represented by the phrase, originally used by the New York City public transit and recently adopted by DHS, “If you see something, say something.” It’s a catchy phrase, and it’s especially fitting for a cash-strapped public school environment. All parents can observe when they’re on campus to see things that may be amiss or at risk. For those of us that work in the security industry we are particularly well-suited for the task. We have knowledge of security developments and technologies that may not have been considered. We recognize threats and vulnerabilities others may miss. We tend to think with a security mindset others don’t bring to the situation. It’s good for us to get on campus sometimes and get involved so we can bring our expertise to bear.

Clearly we have to protect our kids. But we have to protect our educational institutions as well. The United States will not remain a superpower and economic kingpin if the generation behind us has problems, such as inadequate education.

As we begin another school year, I am indeed excited about what lies ahead for my kids and hopeful that it will be a rich, fun, developmental, and safe year for them. And may that be the case all throughout America too.