School Safety Assessments are part of NCPCV’s School Safety Center.
NCPCV’s School Safety Assessments go beyond analyzing just locks and doors. Instead, NCPCV team members do a thorough, on-site walkthrough of each school and its premises, including, but not limited to, the safe flow of traffic on campus, the flow and movement of students through entryways and exits, lighting, pathways, and safety reviews and inspections of all major common areas such as gyms, cafeterias, libraries, and other larger areas where students may assemble in groups.
These on-site reviews lean on CPTED (Crime prevention through environmental design) strategies that deter violence by altering the physical design of spaces where people congregate. This includes ensuring school officials have a good line of sight into what’s happening on campus and eliminating potential problem areas.
Also included is a review of each school’s access control — determining who is allowed in and out of the school at all times.
But NCPCV’s School Safety Assessments go beyond just brick and mortar. The NCPCV team takes a close look at all school safety policies to ensure best approaches for protecting students and staff. These reviews include taking a closer look at policies such as evacuation plans and strategies, student conduct policies, plans related to shelter-in-place, and other safety policies created by the school.
Following the on-site and policy reviews, NCPCV makes recommendations for all areas where improvement is needed. This includes further consultation with school staff and administration to review what was discovered and together plan a course of action to remediate issues.