While we want to be sensitive to this, we also feel that it is important to share information that can have a positive impact on these incidents in the future. This article is designed to illuminate the topic of glass being one of the greatest school safety vulnerabilities.

A recent article in Campus Safety Magazine called 9 Ways to Improve Safety on an Open Campus discusses a variety of different tactics to improve school security and enhance student safety. Of the various things they discussed, they mention “Apply security glazing film to all first-floor doors and window glass. Start with door glass first and continue until all first-floor glass is secure.”

Liz Crawford wrote another article titled “Is Your Child’s School Safe? Examining The Top 3 School Safety Vulnerabilities“. She noted glass as being one of the top 3 vulnerabilities because of the extensive use of tempered glass in schools. She, along with Craig Gundry, Vice President with Critical Intervention Services, discussed and said “Another common security vulnerability in schools is extensive use of tempered glass glazing. Tempered glass shatters into small pieces and Gundry believes one gunshot into the glass will make it easy for a gunman to enter the building. Critical Intervention Services estimates a gunman can get into a school in roughly nine seconds if confronted with tempered glass.”

Gundry Aldo said, “One of the reasons tempered glass has historically been much more common in architectural design as well as indoor environments is because of the price. It is less than half the price typically of laminated glass,”. We unfortunately see this specification in schools regularly. There is good news though. This school safety vulnerability can be addressed by retrofitting existing school glass with a security window film. When someone tries to gain access through the glass of a protected door or window, the security window film would allow the glass to break, but it would maintain the glass in the frame. While this film / glass combination can eventually be penetrated to gain access, the objective is to create resistance. Slow the entry down.

The goal should be giving school officials and authorities time to respond. Window film offers a cost effective solution with minimal disruption to the facility.

If you would like more information or have any questions about how security window films can improve school security and student safety, please contact us by calling (913) 384-2665 for Overland Park, Kansas, (816) 353-2665 for Independence, Missouri, and (816) 560-2665 for Lee’s Summit, Missouri. We would be happy to provide you with a free property assessment and estimate on retrofitting security window film in your Independence, Lee’s Summit, Missouri, and Overland Park, Kansas area school.

It is very unfortunate that physical school security has become a primary topic of conversation, but it is part of the reality of the world in 2022. It sometimes is difficult to discuss school security and student safety strategies without appearing to have an agenda or be trying to sell something. While we are sensitive to this, we also feel that it is important to share information that can have a positive impact on potential incidents in the future. This article is designed to illuminate the topic of glass being one of the greatest school safety vulnerabilities.

Liz Crawford wrote a piece recently titled “Is Your Child’s School Safe? Examining The Top 3 School Safety Vulnerabilities“. In this article, she noted glass as being one of the top three vulnerabilities because of the extensive use of tempered glass in schools. She, along with Craig Gundry, Vice President with Critical Intervention Services, discussed and said “Another common security vulnerability in schools is extensive use of tempered glass glazing. Tempered glass shatters into small pieces and Gundry believes one gunshot into the glass will make it easy for a gunman to enter the building. Critical Intervention Services estimates a gunman can get into a school in roughly nine seconds if confronted with tempered glass.”

Gundry also said, “One of the reasons tempered glass has historically been much more common in architectural design as well as indoor environments is because of the price. It is less than half the price typically of laminated glass,”.

While it is true that we see this specification in schools regularly, there is good news. This school safety vulnerability can be addressed by retrofitting existing tempered school glass with a security window film. When someone tries to gain access through the glass of a protected door or window, the security window film would allow the glass to break, but it would maintain the glass in the frame. While this film / glass combination can eventually be penetrated to gain access, the objective is to create resistance that slows the entry down. The goal is by slowing the entry down that will be giving school officials and local authorities time to respond to the threat.

If you would like more information or have any questions about how security window films can help address school security vulnerabilities, please contact us by calling (913) 384-2665 for Overland Park, Kansas, (816) 353-2665 for Independence, Missouri, and (816) 560-2665 for Lee’s Summit, Missouri or fill out a form HERE. We would be happy to provide you with a free property assessment and estimate on retrofitting security window film in your Overland Park, Kansas, Independence and Lee’s Summit, Missouri area school.

The article begins by stating that “Safety and security window film is a tool that, when integrated with a well-planned system of security measures, can offer a school community both greater security and greater peace of mind. Safety and security film is a polyester-based product that, when professionally installed, strengthens a building’s windows, which in turn protects the building and its occupants.” But how exactly can it accomplish this? We summarize their findings below.

Ways Security Window Film Enhances School Safety and Security

• Increases Intrusion Resistance of Glass – The article notes that “Windows and doors are the most vulnerable parts of a building. They are points of entry for people that may mean harm to the occupants. Glass is also an inviting target for vandals intent on mischief or worse. The main benefit of safety and security film is to provide an invisible shield that offers protection from broken glass and deters or delays unwanted entry.“Think of security window film as part of an overall system to prevent unwanted access to the facility.As the article states, “…use of safety window film alone will not prevent intrusion through glass. Instead, it increases the amount of time needed to break through and can deter the efforts of the potential intruder altogether after multiple unsuccessful attempts to enter through the filmed glass.” By slowing the intruder down, the facility has time to implement other safety measures including notifying local authorities. The goal of the window film is to slow down how quickly the intruder can gain access to the interior of the building.
• Improved Privacy and Protection – The ability of a potential intruder to see into the school can arm them with information better kept hidden. The article mentions this by saying, “As most schools operate during daylight hours, an intruder can still see into classrooms — even if the blinds are drawn in some cases. Each window is essentially a map to the entire school. Potential intruders can easily see in and gather details of the entire school — the hallways, media center, office, cafeteria, etc. — which makes it easier to create a plan to gain entry and target victims.” Fortunately, security window film comes in various shades and reflectivity levels to help obscure the interior details of the building and the activities within during daylight hours.

If you would like more information about how security window film can be added to your school safety measures, call one of our three Kansas City area locations listed below. We would be happy to provide a free, no obligation consultation and estimate of implementing a security window film solution in your facility.