2015 PAIS Conference
School Security Presentation

Providing Best Practices Security
in a Culture of Trust

by Randal S. Doaty, Director of Security
The Hill School, Pottstown, PA

Randal S. Doaty
Speaker Background & Perspective

  • 13 years municipal police officer – former Chief of Police
  • 27 years Pennsylvania licensed private investigator
  • 20 years as volunteer Emergency Medical Technician
  • Past parent of private boarding school student
  • Former trustee on the Board of Trustees at The Perkiomen School

Presentation Vocabulary Terms

  • Culture of Trust – an environment and a relationship between a private school and their students extending high levels of trust and confidence through honor systems which are intended to build responsibility and character.
  • Parental Trust – the confidence parents place in an independent school when the institution becomes the professional, privately paid caretaker of their minor children.
  • Best Security Practices – professional standards and procedures that are accepted or prescribed as being correct and most effective in modern school security practices.
  • Vigilance – a constant state of readiness, a watchful eye and the preparation to respond to modern day risks and dangers potentially found in a school setting.

Four Key Questions for Your School to Consider

1) Is our school fulfilling the trust paying parents have placed in our school to employ the best practice security measures needed to remain vigilant for modern day risks and dangers now found in our school settings?

2) Are we eroding or violating the traditional private school “culture of trust” relationship between our school and our students by implementing modern, best practices security measures?

3) Should independent schools have a higher standard of school security vigilance than our peer public schools?

4) Should an independent boarding school have a different standard and level of school security vigilance than an independent day school?

Security Practices List

___ In-house vs. contract security services philosophy
___ Security coverage to be same as student presence – day vs. boarding school

___ School security manager background – former police vs. security pro

___ Written and updated emergency critical response plans

___ Student and faculty emergency response training time set aside

___ Table Top Drills for administration to test emergency response thinking

___ Comprehensive building & grounds plan book for use by emergency services

___ Armed or unarmed security philosophy discussion

___ Campus policy for resident weapon storage and concealed weapon permits

___ High visibility security profile – uniformed officer and marked cars

___ Low visibility security profile – video monitoring, plain clothing

___ Door access control and management systems

___ Wide area video recording, capture and review

___ Wide area motion detection monitoring

___ Drill practices and philosophies – fire, lockdown, mass evacuation

___ Mass alert notification systems

___ Campus wide audible alert system
___ Simultaneous 911 dispatch triggered with mass notification

___ Personal security device app philosophies –

___ Establish and build police relations and enhanced data sharing

___ Promote police simulated emergency drill exercises on campus

___ Direct police radio communications

___ Establish contraband confiscation and disposal practices

___ Internal affairs vs. external affairs security participation and involvement

___ Transportation services to be seen as a security management function

___ Fleet GPS tracking and management

___ Driver training and vehicle operater management

___ Visitor ID badges and alert systems

___ Contractor and service provider ID and background checks

___ Information and data collection systems

___ Security utilized as an emergency medical responder

___ Adequate alarmed monitoring – burglar, heat, carbon monoxide, smoke

___ Gated, lock access pedestrian entry systems

___ Gated, controlled vehicular entry

___ Take-out food delivery monitoring & controls

___ Posted public vs. private campus and building restrictions areas

___ No trespassing signs and notifications

___ Lighting and illumination investments

___ Anonymous information reporting system

___ Periodic, independent security assessment evaluations

Security Session Notes

Speaker Contact Information:

Randal S. Doaty, Director of Security
The Hill School
717 E. High Street
Pottstown, PA 19464

(610) 858-3524 – cell phone