The Changing Face of School Security: An Allegion Podcast

Jason Stoddard and Paul Timm came to us live from the floor of the Maryland Association of School Business Officials Conference in Ocean City—our first episode recorded from a trade show floor! 

In this episode, Jason and Paul discuss the importance of establishing national standards, certification and advocacy for school safety directors. Jason also emphasizes the need to master fundamental safety practices, develop positive schoo...

We are so excited to bring you our next episode featuring guest Jermaine Galloway, known nationally as the Tall Cop! 

Through his nearly 20-year career as a police officer, Jermaine began providing training for substance abuse prevention, education and enforcement strategies. To date, the Tall Cop has trained more than 825,000 professional and community members. 

Join us as Jermaine and Paul discuss his tactics for identifying pote...

In this episode, our host Paul Timm catches up with Kevin Wren, a School Safety Advocate with The Cook & Boardman Group.

Kevin's extensive background in school security began at age 15 as a student advocate in Georgia and evolved through roles as a school resource officer, firefighter and EMT, eventually leading school security and emergency management departments in South Carolina. He later went on to win the Campus Safety Dir...

This week, we’re being schooled by students—and it turns out, we have a lot to learn! 

Emma Mann, student ambassador for Safe and Sound Schools and Vanderbilt University student, shared a unique perspective on school safety and security in the eyes of a student. In fact, there’s a lot that administrators and staff DON’T know when it comes to social media, what students talk about or struggle with, or how to engage students in conve...

If you told Missy Dodds years ago that she would be working as a school safety advocate, she probably wouldn’t believe you. However, life always has its twists and turns. 

Missy got her start in teaching at Red Lake High School. On March 21, 2005, her life took the biggest turn: gunfire erupted in the school. Missy had locked her classroom door moments before, but the gunman entered by shooting the tempered glass view panel next to...

When it comes to school security, certain codes and standards are put in place and regularly updated to keep people safe. And when these codes change, it’s important that schools stay current with safety protocols and regulations, including the types of hardware they incorporate into their school’s infrastructure.   Some hardware, like barricade devices, can be more harmful than helpful to a school’s security and accessibility in e...

Cybersecurity and online safety are more important than ever in today’s digital age. Today’s youth probably doesn’t remember a time when the world wasn’t digitally connected. The onset of the Internet as an everyday tool has opened a world of opportunities, both positive and potentially harmful. 

With schools incorporating more digital tools into their daily routines, students and educators alike have a greater opportunity—and nece...

Technology as an everyday tool has created more complex and diverse cybersecurity threats in our nation than ever before. Since it's become an integral part of learning in schools, it’s important for educators to learn and teach the importance of cybersecurity and help mitigate the threats we face. 

The government saw a need for accessible materials covering school safety, and SchoolSafety.gov was born. There, school leaders can fi...

“I love u guys.” 

These were the last four words Ellen and John-Michael Keyes received from their daughter, Emily Keyes, in a text message on the day she was held hostage and then killed in the Platte Canyon High School shooting. 

For victims’ families and friends, this is a real-life nightmare. And for the Keyes, this nightmare was their catalyst in creating a nationwide organization led by those affected by and with an interest i...

When COVID-19 first made waves, it caused a major disruption in schools and in turn, greatly affected students’ mental health and behaviors. 

Student mental health is a growing cause for concern today, not just for the students themselves, but for overall school safety. It’s important that schools have protocols in place to prevent and respond to threats, bullying, and violence appropriately. That’s where a behavioral threat assess...

No two schools are alike, and while best practices surrounding safety can apply to most situations, no security plan is one-size-fits-all. School security requires a specialized, careful approach and planning.

That’s where The Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS) comes in. PASS brings together educators, public officials, and industry experts to develop a coordinated approach to K-12 safety using proven practices, education an...

As technology evolves, so must the ways we secure our schools. But how do you determine the right solutions for your facility?

In response to critical events or emergencies, schools may feel pressured to act quickly when it comes to safety and security. While it’s important to respond to such concerns, many schools are left with equipment that’s outdated or not effective for their specific needs.

In this episode of The Changing Fac...

School security is a complex issue requiring support and guidance from experts. That’s where organizations like the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) comes in.

School Resource Officers (SROs) are important fixtures in schools. Not only do they aim to create a safe day-to-day school environment, they are also crucial to planning and implementing long-term security measures. They help take this responsibility o...

September 28, 2016, started as a typical school day for Molly Hudgens, a guidance counselor at Sycamore Middle School. That is, until an eighth-grade student approached her office with a fully loaded handgun and a plan to harm people on campus. After 90 minutes that felt like hours, Molly was able to disarm the student, but struggled to communicate with the School Resource Officer or call for help. Her careful actions and thought...

After 23 years in the FBI, Jin Kim decided he wasn’t done advocating for safety and joined Safe and Sound Schools to continue his passion in school security. 

In recent years, Jin saw that schools and law enforcement had issues with security and “swatting”, or prank calls made to emergency services to falsely report violence or threats to dispatch armed officers. Not only does this waste time and resources, it creates fear and the ...

Kids aren’t just facing bullying in-person—it’s also from behind their phone and computer screens. 

Jeff Bean started his career in school safety as a School Resource Officer (SRO) during his time as a police officer. As concerns for safety changed and grew, he started SafeSchools4All, an educational resource for parents, faculty, administrators and students that aims to create safe school environments. 

When technology changes and...

For Guy Bliesner, the Rigby Middle School shooting in 2021 wasn’t only a tragic event—it was a crucial learning experience for the safety protocols schools should have in place during and following such events.   After witnessing the aftermath of the shooting, Guy observed just how overwhelming the following processes can be. From initial response to communication and reunification, Guy details just how important it is not to just ...

The Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy didn't just impact the community of Newtown, Conneticut on December 14, 2012. If affected the entire landscape of school security as we knew it.

In our first episode to kick off The Changing Face of School Security, Paul Timm interviewed Michele Gay, Co-founder & Executive Director of Safe and Sound Schools.

After losing her daughter, Josephine Grace, to the Sandy Hook Elementary School trag...