The PASS Safety and Security Guidelines for K-12 Schools is available to download at the bottom of this article
The PASS (Partner Alliance for Safer Schools) school safety and security guidelines are the most comprehensive information available on best practices specifically for securing K-12 school facilities—for elementary schools, middle schools and high schools. The PASS school security checklist allows you to track your school or district’s security efforts in comparison to the best practices identified in the Guidelines. The current guidelines are the 5th edition, released in December 2020.
The primary focuses of the PASS Guidelines are physical security and life safety, and recommendations are limited to related policies, procedures, equipment and technology. Modern and effective security infrastructure is an essential element of any comprehensive school safety strategy, but not the only element. When other prevention efforts fail, facility security measures are critical to protection, mitigation and response. The Guidelines do not address every risk and every situation and, importantly, do not include product-specific recommendations.
While the PASS School Safety and Security Guidelines provide best practices designed primarily for the team responsible for the security of individual schools and entire school districts, the Guidelines are also useful for interested community members, legislators, researchers and others with a focus or interest in improving K-12 school security.
In the current edition, the PASS guidelines are completely revised under a simplified structure by layer, component and tier, which we believe will be more usable and easier to understand. The range of topics covered is also greatly expanded to address the growing range of complex security challenges facing today’s K-12 schools.
Unlike the previous version, the Guidelines now cover best practices on a district-wide level, include expanded information on policies and procedures that relate to safety and security, include additional areas such as school transportation systems, cybersecurity and network infrastructure and architectural features, and the Guidelines cover emergency communications systems and other security components in greater detail.
To learn more about PASS, visit www.passk12.org
