School Safety & Security

Special thanks to Sam Farina (Safety & Security Coordinator at Fairport Central Schools) and Matthew Barnes (Chief, Fairport Police Department) for presenting on school safety and security at the May 2023 Rochester ASIS meeting.

With the number of incidents and deaths, school safety and security has become a critical issue over the last 10 years. Threat assessment has increased 400% since 2017 nationwide. There were 46 school shooting in the US in 2022. There is an estimated 4.6M children that live in households with a loaded gun. Ninety percent (90%) of incidents were planned and in the vast majority of cases, there were prior warning signs (leakage).

Much has been learned from the prior incidents from the importance of awareness building, threat assessment, security technology deployed, to the way incidents are responded to.

Threat Assessment is a large part of the process to prevent incidents. Programs like “hear something, see something, say something” are vital. The recent emphasis on positive mental health plays a role in deterring possible incidents.

Fairport has a district wide safety plan that covers: Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, and Response/Recovery. They have employed newer technology including “smart locks”, bullet proof glass films, visitor management, and communication/notification systems. They have also updated best practices for preparing for and handling incidents, including training of all staff and drills for the students. Preparation not only include the school building and hours but extend to other aspects such as sporting events.

Additional details are available from Mr. Farina and Mr. Barnes who are open to meeting with other schools and groups to further share details for the strategies employed in the Fairport Central School District.

Speakers Sam Farina (Fairport Central School District) and Matthew Barnes (Chief Fairport Police Department).