Fortress America: School safety gets spotlight at debate, conferences

YARMOUTH, Maine — A few years ago, school safety might have seemed like a less important subject for candidates on the political trail, but as rising gun violence in the United States takes center stage, it’s become a topic of debate, including at an Oct. 1 vice-presidential debate. 

In September, suspect 14-year-old Colt Gray allegedly shot 11 people at Apalachee High School near Winder, Ga. Two students and two teachers were killed, while nine others were injured. 

“I, unfortunately, think we have to increase security in our schools,” said Ohio Senator J.D. Vance. “We have to make the doors lock better. We have to make the doors stronger. We’ve got to make the windows stronger.” 

In a rare showing of modern political opponents displaying civility, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz agreed with his opponent on the need for better school safety, but he asked viewers, “Do you want your schools hardened to look like a fort?” 

It’s a fine line that’s been at the forefront of efforts by the security industry to protect one of the nation's most vulnerable assets, its children. At Apalachee High School, it took only eight minutes for Barrow County’s Battalion 1 unit to arrive on the scene, but it was too late. It might have been worse if it had not been for first responders receiving timely alerts through security platform Centegix. That and sturdy, automatic automatically locking doors kept Gray at bay long enough to mitigate even further violence. 

“School shootings all seem to have one thing in common: the windows and doors were a vulnerability,” said panelist Vaughn Schauss of Kuraray during a discussion at the Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA) 2024 Fall Conference. “Our industry can play a role in helping to mitigate some of these tragedies. We don’t need to create a fortress, but we can help buy more time to allow first responders to arrive.” 

If there’s one growing concern for security integrators tasked with securing schools, it's how to keep the process as smooth and simple as possible in the face of rapidly accelerating technology, says Brad Main, regional EAC manager at ASSA ABLOY Door Security Solutions, during a panel recently at VerkadaOne in Denver. 

“We have partners all around the country that help with installation because for some of you, you don't want to touch hardware,” he said. “One of the biggest hiccups you have a lot of times is, ‘Oh, I've got an integrator’ or ‘I've got a partner I've been using for 20 years,’ but they don't understand the technology. They don't understand what's it’s capable of. Bring us in because we will give you as much support as you want or as little. Our goal at the end of the day is to be a smooth transition, and to protect the students and to protect your facility, and to help guide you on the best way to make that application work for you.”