The State of Physical Security in Schools: How ProdataKey Keeps Educational Spaces Safe | White Paper

Guaranteeing the safety of students and staff is a top priority for every educational institution. From managing who has access to facilities to initiating emergency protocols, physical security systems provide school officials with comprehensive control, data, and insight. A proper security system keeps out threats at any level, and allows security personnel to have easy, flexible control over the implementation, management, and use of the system.

Recipient of a 2022 Secure Campus award, ProdataKey (PDK) has been recognized as an ideal access control solution for educational institutions at all levels. With cloud-based access control solutions, PDK has been utilized by countless schools to keep their people and property safe. In  fact, schools are one of the most prominent verticals serviced by PDK partners today–alongside commercial spaces, residential spaces, and storage facilities. 

This white paper examines how today’s schools are adopting physical security measures, and why ProdataKey stands out as an access control solution that provides exceptional campus security for any educational institution.

What Is Physical Security in Schools?

From schools teaching kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) to colleges and universities, having a proper physical security system is a necessity. These security systems can take many shapes and forms, based on the specific requirements of each space. The following section will explore the different levels of physical security in schools, the evolution of security measures, and the distinct campus security requirements of different educational institutions.

The Three Objectives of School Security: Detect, Delay, Respond

In the third edition of the K-12 School Security Guide, published in 2022, researchers from the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) identified three key physical security strategies on school premises: detection, delay, and response. 

Detection refers to measures that inform system managers if a security threat is likely to occur, or actively occurring. The second strategy, delay, includes systems that provide an obstacle for individuals attempting to pose a threat to the school. Lastly, the response strategy refers to measures that allow you to directly address the threat. By combining these three safety strategies, schools can effectively secure their campuses and keep students and staff safe.

The Evolution of Physical Security in Schools

As concerns about school safety have increased over time, so too has the investment in developing and implementing physical security measures across educational institutions. In the 2023 School Survey on Crime and Safety, completed by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the security systems of 4,800 American K-12 public schools were analyzed. The results of this survey, published in the NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2023, shed light on the prominence of different school security measures over a period ranging from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2021-2022 school year. 

Looking at over two decades of information, some notable physical security strategies stand out. Beginning with access control, the NCES study divides this security approach into two forms: controlled access on 1) school buildings and 2) school grounds. Both forms saw a significant increase throughout the period of study.

Controlled Access on School Buildings:

Controlled access on school buildings grew from 74.6% to 97.1%–indicating that only an estimated 2.9% of public K-12 schools in the United States today don’t have a system to control access to their buildings.

Controlled Access on School Grounds:

Access control on school grounds (such as secured gate entrances) grew from 33.7% to 61.1%. While this shows that ground access control has increased over time, the numbers also suggest that it registers as a lower priority for schools, particularly in comparison to controlled access to buildings.

Security Camera Systems:

Another school security measure that experienced notable growth is the use of security camera systems. While only 19.4% of the surveyed schools utilized surveillance cameras in the 1999-2000 school year, by 2022 this number grew to 92.6%. This increased use mirrors the evolution of surveillance technologies itself, as the more convenient IP-based and cloud-based camera systems emerged throughout the early 2000s and the 2010s, and AI cameras are starting to make their mark today.

Mandatory Visitor Check-In:

Unlike school access control systems and security camera monitoring, which all experienced a significant growth in the period of study, mandatory visitor-check-in maintained a steady high percentage. While the percentage remained roughly the same, growing from 96.6% to 97.1% over the two decades, the nature of these visitor check-in procedures evolved as new digital technologies emerged.

Over time, physical security has become a top priority for schools at all levels across the world. And as new technologies emerge that make campus security more innovative and user-friendly, schools continue to implement measures that allow them to effectively detect, delay, and respond to various types of threats.

Security Needs: K-12 vs. Higher Education

With different educational institutions come different needs, particularly when looking at the physical security requirements of K-12 schools compared to higher education institutions. At their core, higher education institutions like colleges and universities share many physical security needs with K-12 schools, such as surveillance systems, lockdown procedures, and the basic requirements for controlled access to buildings. However, colleges and universities present another unique security demand due to their increased likelihood to include on-campus student residential areas.

Institutions that have dormitories and other on-campus living spaces require additional measures in place to ensure that students have proper access to their housing areas. Unlike classrooms and educational spaces that typically function on a more rigid access schedule, residential areas need to allow flexible access for students. Additionally, as students frequently move in and out of residential buildings, a school’s controlled access system needs to be able to account for frequent credential turnover.

Despite a slight disparity in campus security needs, research today suggests that K-12 schools tend to devote more resources to implementing reliable security measures.

The 2023 Access Control and Lockdown Deep Dive from Campus Safety Magazine reports that, when asked if they felt they had adequate door hardware and locks to protect against outside threats, 66% of K-12 schools answered ‘yes’, while only 33% of higher education schools said ‘yes’. This suggests that there is significant room for improvement for higher education campus security.

Securing Schools With Access Control

Access control systems are one of the most prominent school security measures, with NCES reporting that upwards of 97.1% of American public schools have some form of controlled building access today. However, this controlled access can take many forms–from simple lock-and-key systems to intuitive cloud-based solutions like ProdataKey. 

Cloud-Based vs. On-Premise School Access Control

When it comes to electronic physical access control systems, solutions typically come in a cloud-based or an on-premise form. The main factor distinguishing these two systems is hosting: on-premise systems are hosted on-site, while cloud systems are hosted on off-site servers. As a result, on-premise access systems require managers to be on-site in order to monitor activity or make any configuration changes. In contrast, cloud-based systems can be accessed by system administrators remotely. A recent poll of ProdataKey dealers revealed that 58% of integrators identify remote management as the most valuable benefit of cloud-based access control. By utilizing a cloud-based system, school security administrators can have easy remote access to every reporting and management task needed in their educational space. 

In addition to management considerations, cloud and on-premise systems present very different maintenance experiences. With on-premise electronic access systems, any system updates or firmware fixes need to be implemented manually, requiring integrators to be on-site. In contrast, a cloud-based system like PDK is capable of sending out remote automatic firmware updates, allowing each system to benefit from the newest innovations and consistently be prepared to counter any and all emerging security threats.

Mobile-First Access Control

A key mission of ProdataKey is to create access control that is mobile-first, allowing for increased flexibility and convenience for all users. With the ProdataKey mobile application, users can have easy access to PDK.io, the award-winning access management platform. With PDK’s mobile-first management, users can have complete access to management, reporting, and configuration from anytime, anywhere, on any device. This provides school administrators complete flexibility when updating access schedules, assigning or revoking credentials, initiating a system lockdown, creating access rules, and more. 

In addition to management, mobile-first access control also involves the use of mobile credentials. A poll of ProdataKey dealers revealed that 68% of access control integrators identify mobile as the most convenient credential option. PDK’s mobile credentials work in two ways: Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication with a reader, or the push-to-open feature in the mobile app (allowing doors to be opened remotely.) 

What are the most convenient credentials?

votes (%)

Physical credentials, such as key cards, fobs, or even traditional keys, can be easily lost, shared, stolen, or even duplicated. In contrast, credentials present on an individual’s personal mobile device are securely encrypted and far less likely to be misplaced. Additionally, mobile credentials offer a highly convenient option for schools in particular, due to their quick and easy scalability and management. A mobile credential can be assigned, updated, and revoked remotely, eliminating the need to produce and administer physical credentials. Additionally, as schools deal with anywhere from hundreds to thousands of students at one time, PDK’s unlimited mobile credentials allow system administrators to effectively keep up with an influx of new credential holders at any point in time. 

Integrated Access Control in Schools

While an access control system like PDK’s will allow school administrators to reliably secure and monitor entry and exit points, many schools wish to implement additional measures like surveillance cameras, visitor management tools, and incident response systems. Luckily, ProdataKey makes it easy to incorporate countless additional campus security mechanisms through integrations.

Surveillance Systems

Security cameras are one of the most prominent school security measures today, with 92.6% of American public K-12 schools having some form of surveillance technology. Similarly, video management systems (VMS) are one of the main access control integrations that PDK offers today. ProdataKey integrates with a large number of VMS providers, giving system managers the option to pick the camera system that works best for them. 

Combining access control and camera systems allows users to not only get a visual of what’s happening in their system, but they can also cross-check these visual indicators with access events and records in PDK.io. By combining these reactive and proactive approaches to security, a school access control system integrated with VMS allows schools to keep a protective eye on students and staff at all times.

Visitor Management

Of all the physical security measures present in schools today, visitor check-ins have the longest history of widespread implementation. While visitor check-in can be as simple as requiring a visitor to sign in on a piece of paper, there are many technologies available today that can streamline this process, and allow schools to collect more comprehensive information on the visitor. ProdataKey makes this possible through an integration with Savance, a powerful visitor management tool. 

Savance’s Electronic In-Out Board (EIOBoard) is a self-serve check-in station that can be entirely customized to the wants and needs of any system manager. The EIOBoard can collect important visitor information like the visitor’s name, their purpose on school property, how long they will be there, and more. The board can then print out a temporary badge, indicating that the visitor has permissions to be in the space. This ensures that visitors can only access school premises if they have effectively checked in and been approved.

Incident Response 

58% of PDK dealers identify emergency lockdown procedures as the most important feature for school access control. System lockdowns can be directly programmed in PDK.io, but more expansive procedures can be created through integrating an incident response system, like Aegix, Centegix, or Raptor Technologies.

These integrations allow schools to set up crisis alerts, report missing people, designate meeting points, update safety statuses, view building maps, request medical assistance, and more. In addition to incident response systems, various types of alarms and sensors, like the AmberBox gunshot detector, can be tied into a PDK system, allowing system managers to stay up-to-date on any concerning events.

Keeping Students and Staff Safe with ProdataKey

Schools thrive when students and staff can teach and learn without fear–and physical security is the key to achieving this. As a leading access control provider, ProdataKey is dedicated to creating solutions that allow any educational institution to keep their people and property safe. However, this protection involves more than simple door security. By implementing a system like PDK, school administrators can control entry and exits, monitor live activity, program system lockdowns, generate comprehensive reports, and integrate with countless surveillance, visitor management, and crisis response tools. 

Investing in reliable access control today allows schools to build strong, secure campuses for tomorrow–because safety should never be a barrier to learning.

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About ProdataKey

ProdataKey (PDK) is a team of security integrators with decades of hands-on, in-the-field experience. PDK believes that the best technology is created by professionals who know what it takes to secure a facility properly and provide the end-user with a solution that instills confidence and safety.

PDK is passionate about creating technology to enhance the security, safety, and overall experience of both the professionals installing electronic access control and those that live with and use the system. PDK continues to create technology every day to enhance its products and the products of its technology partners.