Insights from SIA’s Chairman: SIA’s School Safety Initiative

School safety is an issue that is top-of-mind for everyone right now. The tragic event in Newtown, CT in December reminded all of us that the safety of our schools and our children is paramount.

In January I sent a letter on behalf of SIA to President Obama prior to his State of the Union address. In that letter, I explained that SIA members are ready to work closely with the administration, lawmakers and school officials across the country to develop security solutions to help keep our classrooms safe. Our members support a holistic approach to school security that includes funding for school security assessments, investment in technology, and emergency preparedness training for education and law enforcement personnel.

I also expressed SIA’s support for full funding for initiatives such as the Secure Our Schools Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Justice, in order to support these strategies.

As part of SIA’s School Safety initiative, SIA Education@ISC has created a School Safety track at ISC West that focuses on issues surrounding security on school campuses, such as: monitoring remote areas, using smart phones as campus credentials, intelligent response to critical incidents, and a case study on IP video surveillance in a campus setting.

On Wednesday, February 27, SIA CEO Don Erickson attended a hearing before the House Education and the Workforce Committee, “Protecting Students and Teachers: A Discussion on School Safety.” Brett Bontrager, Senior Vice President and Group Executive of SIA member company Stanley Security Solutions, did a great job sharing his perspective at the hearing.
SIA has also started a LinkedIn Group, SIA Safe Schools, a forum to discuss policy, technology, compliance issues and the design and installation of security systems to protect our nation’s schools. Participation in the group is growing and I look forward to an increased SIA presence in the weeks ahead on other subjects.

Finally, SIA is in the process of establishing an Education “Industry Group” that will provide SIA members with a forum to network, share best practices, and develop collective solutions to common challenges facing schools across the country.

I encourage all of our members to become involved in SIA’s School Safety initiative by making use of the resources I have mentioned.