When June rolls around, students and teachers begin to think about summer vacation and a few months of much needed rest. While it’s common for thoughts to turn to pleasant activities, as an administrator or school official, summer signals the time when upgrades to campus safety and security policies go into effect.

Preparing for the new school year is complicated, but getting off to a good start doesn’t have to be. To ensure that you have a realistic understanding of your school’s needs, assess the property before everyone leaves for the summer. Since an active campus reveals more weaknesses than a closed campus, here are four things to consider when evaluating your school’s current safety approach.

1. Evaluate Traffic Around Entry and Exit Points

While traffic may occur during peak hours at your school, you can learn a lot by observing it throughout the day as well. Dropoff and pickup times will be the busiest, so take note of areas that seem prone to gridlock, so you can suggest or request feedback for streamlining the process. Make note of other times that can create congestion around the school as well, especially daytime deliveries or special events.

2. Inspect and Improve the Perimeter Infrastructure

If your school lacks strong gates around its playgrounds, summer is the time to upgrade them. Heavy duty gate locks and electromagnetic locks can reinforce your existing gates and improve playground safety. When upgrading any outdoor equipment, be sure to purchase items that are weatherproof. These items are only as good as their own ability to withstand extreme temperatures, moisture, and wind.

3. Inspect Every Single Lock

Check all doors and verify that locking mechanisms are in proper order, especially for doors in more remote areas. Getting a sense of the upgrades or changes necessary before the school year ends will give staff and administrators an opportunity to participate in key maintenance and safety decisions.

4. Make Glass Windows and Doors Attack-Resistant

When students and faculty return for the new school year, they will spend the majority of their time indoors. Glass windows and doors make being inside more pleasant, but ground floor windows can be accessed by criminals with ease. Strengthen vulnerable windows and glass doors by installing 3M™ Safety & Security/Fragment Retention Window Film. This patented product bonds to the window, absorbs shock, and is undetectable. Although it cannot stop a bullet, it will make entering the building much more difficult, which can give security a chance to intervene before someone is harmed. Watch a demo here.

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Before the school year wraps up, give our safety team a call to discuss ways to physically improve the safety of your facility. Our dedicated team of industry experts will explain how these protective films work and will help you select the correct product for your school.

Contact Sunray® Window Films today via email or at 800.295.8468.