Continual updates to school security plans and updates to security technology are of paramount importance. Communication is also essential to ensure that staff are trained, students know what do during emergencies, and that first responders are familiar with any important information the school district has that can help them save time and save lives during calls to action and duty.
School security plans need to be thorough. Access control and video surveillance are prevalent in most school districts, yet one important piece of the security puzzle that often gets overlooked is managing the hundreds to thousands of keys on school campuses. Electronic key control provides access control to the keys themselves, to physical assets, to restricted areas of the building, and to student records and data.
Electronic key control secures all keys, releases them to only authorized individuals, tracks who removed and returned them, when these transactions occurred, and provides an audit trail 24 and 7. Managing the security of all keys is as important as monitoring activity inside and outside of the building and providing access control for people entering and exiting the building. A security technology suite is incomplete without key control.
While electronic key control is an integral and essential component of the security technology stack for K-12 schools, many school districts lack a defined and written key control policy for their master security plans. Once written, key control policies require administration and enforcement. Here are a few core items to include in a K-12 schools key control policy:
Define the Key Control Policy Purpose – What are you trying to achieve by controlling all the keys on school premises? The purpose should be to secure all keys and to prevent unauthorized usage of keys. And of course, the key control policy is designed to protect people, places, and assets at schools.
Define the Key Control Policy Objectives – The objectives defined here can include compliance with FERPA regulatory requirements, accountability, time management and efficiency, reduction of costs associated with lost keys, reduction of liability and security breaches, and accessibility of all school keys for first responders.
Define the Key Control Policy Responsibilities – This will vary depending on the organization of any school district of who will oversee a key control policy but can include the superintendent for overall approval of the policy, facilities managers, security managers, administrators, and the principal to ensure the responsibilities are carried out and enforced, and make sure the policy is regularly reviewed and amended.
Define the Key Control Policy Rules – The rules may include never allowing any keys to leave school property and must always reside in an electronic key control cabinet, reporting of lost keys protocol, issuing of master keys, and never loaning keys or letting anyone borrow them. There should also be an established protocol for assignment of keys to new personnel and protocol for the return of keys for staff members who are leaving their employment.
Define the Procedures and Costs Associated with New and Replaced Keys – Key audits are important during times of renovations or if there are broken locks and new keys need to be added to the key control system. Procedures also need to be administered such as established charges that will be incurred and work order forms for the facilities department to replace locks and keys.
Define the Procedures for First Responder Access to School Master Keys – Clear communication is needed between the school district and first responders as to where the master keys reside in the event of an emergency. Emergency key control practice drills can be added into lockdown and fire drills. The key control policy should include specific instructions and copies of the emergency first responder key control plan should be shared with these departments as to where the key control system is located and where the first responder key ring is located.
These are just a few of the many items that can be included in a school district key control policy. Being prepared with all the available security technology is important to keep K-12 schools safer. Adding a key control policy along with a key control system will ensure that school districts save money by not having to replace lost keys. Key control systems also boost productivity and add accountability by providing access control to school assets. Most importantly, key control systems help to protect people and property.
