What Security Threats Do Educational Facilities Face?
In 2019, there was an average of one school shooting per week across the United States. Of those shootings, 32 took place at K-12 schools.
Unfortunately, the issues of gun violence and active threats in schools and on university campuses are here to stay. This is one of the biggest threats that educational facilities face in our society today, but it’s not the only one.
Like other types of commercial properties, schools can also be the targets of property crime, such as vandalism, smash-and-grab theft, and burglary. You might not think of schools as a top target for criminals, but they are full of valuable equipment like computers.
Surveillance systems, alarms, and security guards can go a long way towards protecting schools from active threats and other criminals, but there’s one vital thing that they don’t do: create a physical barrier to entry.
That’s where security glazing (i.e. security glass and glass-like products) comes in. It is designed to reinforce and protect a building’s glass doors and windows to keep bad guys out and, in the case of schools and universities, keep students and staff safe at all times.
Riot Glass® Bullet Resistant Glass for Active Threat Protection
Riot Glass® offers bullet-resistant glazing shields that are designed specifically with schools in mind. These glazing shields look and function just like standard window glass, but they can withstand ballistic attacks and prevent active threats from gaining entry to the building.
Many of our bullet-resistant glass and glass-like security solutions for schools receive a ballistic resistance rating from Underwriters Laboratories (UL), which is a leading organization that rates all types of commercial safety and security products.
The highest level of bullet-resistant glazing we offer has a UL 752 Level 7 rating. This means that the panels can resist a high-speed, multi-shot attack from an active threat using an AK-47 rifle loaded with .308 150-grain military rounds.
Our glazing shields can be applied over an educational facility’s window and door glass to stop bullets and prevent an active threat from shooting out a window and climbing through it, or shooting through a glass door to reach in and open it from the other side. We also offer fully-rated framing and ballistic doors in varying configurations.
Vandalism & Forced Entry Prevention for Schools & Universities
All of our bullet-resistant glass protection options for schools will also provide the highest level of protection against vandalism, forced entry attempts, and other types of impacts.
A would-be intruder can try all they want to smash through Riot Glass® with a bat, a crowbar, a rock, or any other type of tool or heavy object, but they aren’t going to get through and are often unable to damage the existing glass behind it.
In addition to bullet-resistant glazing shields, we also offer containment-grade (non-ballistic) glazing. This type of security glazing won’t stop bullets, but it can prevent an active threat from forcing entry because it retains its strength and shape even when riddled with bullets.
Retrofit Security Glazing for Educational Facilities
Riot Glass® security solutions are specifically made to be retrofitted into or onto almost any existing school window or door framing system. This makes it much more cost-effective than replacing the existing glass, especially for schools that have many large windows and glass doors.
Our security glazing has low profile framing and looks and feels like the existing glass, so you don’t have to worry about your school looking like it’s been reinforced against security threats. But, you will know the difference in the unfortunate event that an active threat or another criminal, targets your facility — it will be protected 24/7 by the virtually unbreakable Riot Glass®.
Riot Glass® is the ultimate retrofit fenestration security solution for schools and universities of all ages and sizes. It’s an invaluable investment in the safety of your staff, students, and property.
What Other Benefits Does Riot Glass® Have?
Besides providing active threat and forced entry protection for schools and universities, Riot Glass® also protects against all other types of impacts. For example, it provides blast damage and injury mitigation in the event of a nearby bomb blast as well as protection against flying storm debris during a hurricane or windstorm.
Additionally, Riot Glass® can help with noise reduction (sound attenuation) inside schools to make it easier to teach and learn. The security glazing helps to block outdoor noise from traffic, as well as reduce the noise that gets transmitted between classrooms, hallways, etc.
Riot Glass® can even make schools more energy efficient because it adds an extra pane of glass to doors and windows, improving insulation and solar heat blocking. This can translate into big savings on your monthly utility bills that really add up over the years.
