The Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS) just released the 7th edition of its safety checklists. Part of these checklists includes standards for access control. Here’s our breakdown.
Image courtesy of passk12.org
PASS develops its security plans around systems. The result is a comprehensive checklist that ensures that your security is a uniform system that works together rather than being disconnected.
However, these checklists shouldn’t be used as a source of truth for every situation. That’s why we’ll take a moment to review these and talk about pros and cons of these different approaches so that you can make an informed decision.
District-Wide Access Control
The district-wide security focuses on policies, procedures, and standards that support the school as a whole. This is the broadest view of security and should be considered first, so that the decisions you make at individual doors are informed by the broader scope of your security plan.
Supporting First Responders
Tier 1 of district-wide access control is providing a building access system for first responders. Usually, this involves both a blueprint of the building and the ability to access all the doors of a building.
In recent years, this solution has been to install a lock box containing building layouts and a master key inside. This is then affixed to the outside of the building by a main door.
We further recommend a building access kit that doesn’t expose your building to additional risk. If using a lock box, consider whether it can easily be broken into or picked open. If it can, consider placing the box just inside the building or in the main office for someone to grab in the case of an evacuation.
Image courtesy of KnoxBox
Remote Door Release and Lockdown Capabilities
Tier 3 is to add remote door release and lockdown capabilities. In this instance, you will want to decide which doors to add these capabilities to. For instance, a classroom door lockdown feature may lock students out of the classroom in the case of an active shooter scenario.
However, hallway doors and exterior entrances could benefit from door release and lockdown abilities.
Electronic Access Control for Data-Sensitive Areas
With the notion of electrifying your exterior doors comes the added option of electrifying other sensitive areas. Server rooms, for example, would only be accessed by a set group of staff and could be good candidates for electronic access.
You will need to decide whether these rooms should default to a locked or unlocked state in the case that the power to the door is interrupted. There are pros and cons to both approaches.
Digital Infrastructure Access Control
When it comes to digital infrastructure, most of the attention is placed on cybersecurity policies. While this should be the case, it’s dangerous to forget MDF and IDF rooms exist in physical spaces that should be protected as well.
Store Networking Equipment and Servers In Locked Cabinets and Rooms
Networking equipment and servers can be just as susceptible to physical attacks as digital attacks. In fact, roughly 1 in every 10 data breaches occurs when physical security is compromised. PASS offers the straightforward solution of placing sensitive equipment in locked cabinets. Alongside this, we would recommend keying these rooms differently and making these rooms locked by default by using a storage room function lock.
Building Perimeter Access Control
The building perimeter is one of the most important lines of defense for a school. As a result, this checklist has one of the most detailed sections on access control of all of PASS’s recommendations.
These recommendations come in stages: Securing the exterior door, maintaining a robust key system and adding electronic access control.
Exterior Doors
Securing the perimeter involves making sure the doors themselves have the necessary hardware needed to guard against entry. This includes installing a lock or exit device for each door, using a cylinder for dogging so that only authorized individuals can unlock doors, and monitoring the status of each door as closely as possible.
Key Systems
Key systems should be maintained, but in the event of a rekey, a patented or restricted keying system is preferred. The pros and cons of patented vs. restricted keys deserves it’s own post.
However, the shared benefit of restricting the ability to make unauthorized duplicate keys can’t be understated. This alone will maintain properly-managed key systems for years longer than standard keys.
Electronic Access Control
Once doorways are monitored and key systems are maintained, electronic access control of exterior entrances should be considered. Electrifying any major entrances helps to monitor and control those who wish to enter the building.
Electrifying any door also comes with deciding how these doors should unlock. Key fobs are popular, but can be expensive and pose security risks if they go missing. Access control from a front office requires readily available staff at all times. The pros and cons should be weighed beforehand to prevent rushing to a decision that your property is not prepared to support.
Classroom Access Control
Classroom access control is the final stage and should be the product of all the decisions and policies made beforehand. This doesn’t diminish the value of classroom access control.
In fact, the Sandy Hook Advisory Committee has found that in the case of an active shooter scenario, there has never been a breach of a locked classroom door. Despite this important fact, classroom door security is often overlooked.
Classroom Locks
PASS stipulates that classroom locks should be lockable from the inside and that classroom doors be locked and closed when occupied. This eliminates the need for a teacher to run out into the hallway to lock a door in the event of a lockdown.
Classroom locks should also have some form of visual indicator that the door is locked. This further eliminates the need for teachers to step into the hallway to test the lock. (Our patented HeartBeam lock takes this a step further by ensuring that the door is lockable by anyone and that the front office is made aware that the classroom has entered a lockdown scenario.)
Stand-Alone and Networked Electronic Locks
When the door is secured with a proper lock, there is an option to electrify it by making it either a standalone electrified lock or part of a greater network. Again, this is a topic that deserves its own blog post. For now, know that both options exist and carry pros and cons for each.
How To Know When To Make A Change
There are a lot of recommended changes mentioned in these lists. Knowing where to start can feel overwhelming. That’s why we’ve created our Security Self-Assessment. It’s a pdf download that asks a few simple questions to help you evaluate your own system and see where the largest gaps are. You can click the button below to download it.
