Schools can reduce the risk of targeted violence by improving their physical security.  Conducing a site assessment can help school identify existing vulnerabilities and mitigate harm should an incident occur.

In order to prevent potential emergencies or critical incidents, schools must identify potential hazards and evaluate the risks.  Conducting school infrastructure surveys and assessments create opportunities to reduce or eliminate potential hazards and develop recommendations for improvement. Using data from a school infrastructure survey and assessment, schools can address areas of greatest risk or vulnerability in their emergency plans.

School infrastructure surveys and assessments are used to collect, record, and organize information about critical infrastructure school facilities.  Information found in these surveys and assessments provide schools with critical infrastructure data, including security, vulnerability, threat, dependency, and consequence information, that provide a complete context to enhance the mission-specific needs of schools.  The South Dakota School Safety Center also incorporates principles developed by Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) in the infrastructure assessments they perform for South Dakota schools.  Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design or CPTED suggests that the design of buildings, landscaping and outdoor environments can either encourage or discourage crime. CPTED attempts to minimize crime and the fear of crime by reducing criminal opportunity and fostering positive social interaction among the users of a space.

Benefits of a School Infrastructure Survey and Assessment

• Enhances a positive school climate
• Prevents potential risks for injury and/or liability
• Strengthens premise security and personal safety
•  Promotes an all-hazard approach
• Allows assessors to gather information in the appropriate amount of detail for the circumstances

How to Request a School Infrastructure Survey and Assessment

Any South Dakota School District can request a school infrastructure survey and assessment.  The South Dakota School Safety Program Director will perform the survey and assessment at no cost.  Contact the South Dakota School Safety Center at 605-773-3450, or email South Dakota School Safety Program Director Brett Garland at brett.garland@state.sd.us,  to arrange for a School Infrastructure Survey and Assessment.

Final Considerations on School Infrastructure Survey and Assessments:

Conducting a School Infrastructure Survey and Assessment does not guarantee that a school will be safe or violence-free. Rather, a School Infrastructure Survey and Assessment is a comprehensive overview of the facility and its operations with recommendations for improvements. The ideal time for completing a School Infrastructure Survey and Assessment is prior to a critical incident, not in response to a critical incident.

 

Additional Resources

The South Dakota School Safety Center recommends the following resources regarding School Infrastructure Security Surveys and Assessments.

•             Cyber and Infrastructure Security Agency: Infrastructure Security
•             Readiness Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance Center: Site Assessment
•             US Department of Homeland Security: Buildings and Infrastructure Protection Series Primer to Design Safe School Projects in Case of Terrorist Attacks and School Shootings