Bullying threatens our education system every day but its often the most violent acts that

t make daily news, how can education facility managers ensure the safety of students at all levels big and small? At the recent ISC West Expo in Las Vegas, a panel of security experts tackled the security threats that put students at risk every day at school. Guy Grace, director of security and emergency planning at the Littleton, Colorado Public Schools voiced security measurements including visitor management systems to guard against threats including sex offenders. He also suggested the utilization of intercoms, access control solutions, video surveillance and loss prevention devices. An increasingly relevant security topic: bullying. Sadly, the Bureau of Justice Statistics reports students age 12 to 18 were victims of approximately more than 1 million non-fatal victimizations at school in 2011 including 648,000 thefts and 597,000 violent acts. At the ISC West expo Grace emphasized the importance of an internet monitoring company not to infringe on the privacy of students but instead to monitor potential threats to the school district.

Our view was if students and teachers are not secure, nothing else matters. -John Carson Douglas County Board of Education, CO

In lieu of tragic mass murders at schools education experts are focusing more on improving communication systems as well as security fine-tuning procedures and protocols during emergency responses. John Carson of the Douglas County Board of Education expressed the need of law enforcement authorities on campus implementing a program that utilizes retired police officers and military to pass a certification before assisting in campus security.

Barbara Coloroso, an expert in anti-bullying education also spoke at the ISC West Expo, detailing the importance of security within schools and the acknowledgement of bullying as more than a repetitive actshe says once is enough. During her speech as part of a panel that tackled all aspects of violence in schools, Coloroso advised schools to clarify anti-bullying policies, adopting protective procedures as well as implementing prevention strategies and monitoring.