School security has become more popular, but procedures vary greatly from state to state.

In the last ten years, we’ve seen a rise in security procedures among K-12 schools in the U.S. The most common security measures include interior locks, having active shooter plans, and hiring law enforcement officers or private security officers to patrol buildings.

In a study from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), researchers found that these procedures varied greatly based on income levels for the districts and state funding. For example, if a school has a greater number of students coming from lower-income homes, the classrooms are less likely to have locking doors. Among schools where at least 3/4 of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches, 69% had locking doors in the 19-20 school year. If schools have 25% or fewer kids qualifying for these benefits, 78% of the classroom doors have locks on them.

But, building security is just one measure that schools are taking to increase security. One of the primary security procedures is having an active shooter response plan in place. It sounds dystopian, that we’d have to have these procedures in schools. But, we know too well that school shootings are becoming more and more frequent. Therefore, these procedures are increasingly necessary.

In 2019-20, 96% of all public K-12 schools had some kind of plan like this in place. 98% had conducted a lockdown drill with students that year. (Study here.) Thankfully, since having these procedures doesn’t cost the school to implement, the numbers are high regardless of income level.

Yet another implemented security measure has to do with communications and technology. Yes, many schools have security cameras. But, over the years we’ve seen increases in providing two-way radios to staff, having electronic notification systems that automatically alert parents in case of a school emergency, creating an anonymous threat-reporting system, or even installing panic buttons around a school’s campus.

Arc One Protective Services teamed up with EZYPA earlier this summer to conduct Safe School Audits with schools, and offer both physical security officers (with detailed threat assessments) and technological security measures like the ones listed above.

Pew Research noted that these communications systems also vary greatly based on income levels in the various school regions. Schools with larger shares of minority students were more likely to use the threat-reporting systems and less likely to report using security cameras. Schools with lower income levels also were less likely to use/install panic buttons. Of course, enrollment numbers play a role too, and schools with higher enrollment were more likely to designate funds for communications and technology measures.

Finally, let’s talk about security staff. In the years this study was conducted, which, was before Uvalde and before the pandemic, 2/3 of public schools had one or more security staff person present, at least once a week. This is an increase from 43% nearly a decade earlier. In 51% of schools, there was a sworn law enforcement officer who carried a firearm. This is up from 28% in 2009-10. School sizing has more to do with these numbers, as larger schools have more officers on site. An additional statistic to note, is that schools where more than 3/4 of the students are minorities are least likely to have an officer who carries a firearm.

So, how will these numbers change in the coming years? How do we get more funding to all schools, regardless of income levels or demographics? We can only expect an increase in the implementation of the security measures mentioned. But, statistically, we’ll have to wait and see. What we do know, is that when the Texas House Bill 3 passed earlier this summer, that meant schools in Texas would receive funding for additional security measures. It requires at least one armed security officer on every school campus and provides incentives for employees who are trained to carry a firearm. This bill also gives the state more power to encourage districts to have active-shooter plants. There are additional allocations of funds for security in the bill (which goes beyond the scope of this post). All in all, this is a win for the state of Texas.

That being said, the real question is how do we get other states to sign on? How do we get them to recognize that school security is a top priority in the same way Texas did? We see government funds pouring into other areas, some overseas. So, when do we get to allocate some of those funds to the safety of American children?