School Security: Safety During Drop-Off and Dismissal

The school day is hectic enough outside of security; when safety risks are factored in, the burdens on school faculty are instantly multiplied. School administrators should do everything possible to minimize security risks school, and the prime times to target first are morning drop-off and afternoon dismissal. NYC school security stakeholders who need solutions for drop-off and pickup concerns may be able to use these tips in advance of the next school year.   

Don’t be a rulebreaker.

School rules are there for the benefit of everyone, including teachers. Whatever the school protocols are during an emergency, it’s important to follow them to the letter. Only release students to adults who are on the approved pickup list for that child; if the school allows adults to pick up students inside the building, issuing access control credentials to parents may be appropriate.

As for the morning drop-off, it’s important to make sure that students and parents are following the rules as well. Security cameras can surveil the drop-off areas to ensure traffic is flowing safely and students are entering in an orderly fashion. When busy parents are trying to get through the line as quickly as possible, video surveillance can spot any potential altercations or disorderly behavior.

Watch everything.

Live security officers are valuable assets to a campus, but they can’t be everywhere at once – and once school is out for the day, most of the guards go home. Meanwhile, there are still afterschool activities going on well into the evening; those students need to be safe while they wait for rides or walk home on foot. To fill in those critical time gaps, schools that need 24/7 security can implement an electronic solution.

Remote video monitoring is technology that patrols assigned parts of the school remotely, watching for activity on camera that may warrant alerting authorized staff. If desired, schools can request that the remote guards voice down to the location when suspicious activity is spotted. Remote video monitoring is an ideal way to watch everything no matter the time of day.

Support staff communication.

Morning drop-off and afternoon pickup are not good times of day for school staff to stand side-by-side and chat – and yet, there are scenarios in which they may need to communicate with each other during those times. Rather than encouraging staff to text each other at their personal phone numbers, administrators can use a communication tool designed specifically for the education environment. These apps can provide seamless, professional and recorded communication between staff and is an excellent platform for school faculty communication at any time of day, including frantic times of day like drop-off and pickup – and keep track of students in emergency scenarios, when they may be scattered throughout the building unaccompanied by teachers.

School security matters at all hours of the day, but drop-off and pickup are times of day with their own unique safety concerns. For questions on any of the services explained here, NYC school security management can contact POM Technologies.

About POM Technologies

Peace Of Mind Technologies has delivered site-specific, cost-effective security solutions to facilities throughout the greater New York Metro area since 2002. As experts in NYC school security technologies, we aren’t your average security company. Contact us at (212) 688-2767 or info@pom-tec.com to request a free security analysis, or reach out via the contact form below.