The Secure Christian School
By: Glenn Rambo

One of the greatest educational tools in this country is the Christian school. The schools that acknowledge God Almighty, His Son Jesus Christ and the Word He gave us. The school that puts God first, and man's knowledge second. Christian schools are not the answer to every educational, spiritual or behavioral problem out there; however, they are much more in tune with what needs to be done than the public system.

The subject of Christian school security is one that is not talked much of. We, as people who exercise our faith, often think that God will take care of us, which of course is true. However, we as Christian educators and administrators must exercise and put to work the knowledge, wisdom and faith that He gives us (James 1:5). We also need to be good stewards of not just our money, but specifically the children, staff and property of our Christian schools. Do we really need to talk about this, or can we just hope it will never happen to us or at our school? Of course we need to talk about it, and for several reasons.

Outside of the obvious, Christian schools are different from other schools, and with that comes many challenges. We will start with the government/public view toward Christian schools pertaining to security.

The Christian school, in the eyes of the government, is a little understood "thing" that they would rather not have to address. The public school system is funded through taxes, which the government is directly involved in and concerned about. It's where the majority of government officials send their children. It's where the majority of focus is placed for security. Christian schools are privately funded, don't often have high budgets, and believe in and put God first in their system. The government as a whole cannot and, I would dare say, does not want to get involved in suggesting or providing security advice or solutions for Christian schools. It is unfortunate. but nonetheless true. That now leaves the Christian school security solution to each individual school administrator and sponsoring church.

The devil is not to be underestimated in his knowledge. We must believe what God warns us of about the devil and his agents. We must prepare accordingly and with haste. Not wishing to cause panic, but I personally believe that we have not yet begun to see the strife in our own country that we have witnessed these last four years worldwide. With that in mind, how can we protect our schools, students and faculty members?

Talking about school security is a great place to start, talking about what can be done to improve the overall security of your facility. Arrogance or ignorance about your school not having a problem with violence, drugs or crime, or of being a future target, is a very dangerous thing. Talk with other administrators from different Christian schools to see what they are facing or doing about security.

We would all like to believe that each student that attends our Christian schools professes faith in Christ; however, we cannot guarantee that. Sometimes we receive students from the public school system who have been put here for one reason or another. They will bring with them whatever problem they had in the public system be it anger, violence, theft, etc. Of course, it is our goal that once in the Christian school environment, they will improve. Keep the "barrel of good apples and the one bad apple" in mind with this chemistry.

So now that we've talked about school security and feel we need to do something about it, where do we turn?

As a Law Enforcement officer in the State of New Jersey for more than 16 years, I can tell you that there is very little interaction between Police Departments and Private/Christian schools, unless that interaction is engaged by the Christian school. Officers who are not Christians rarely want to get involved in anything that has to do with faith. This is not criticism, but fact. While your local police agency may be able to provide you with "off the cuff" suggestions for your school's security, you should go deeper.

Christian schools are more diverse than almost any educational system out there. They come in all different sizes, shapes, forms and attachments. Funding is limited, and this provides a very interesting challenge when deciding on security issues.

First and foremost, your Christian school staff must be sold and bought into the fact that the school needs to be secure. An awareness must exist on every level from the principal/superintendent to the janitorial and volunteer staff. All of the security equipment and consulting is useless unless it is put into effect and accepted by the people it is meant to protect. A $1000 security door is useless if someone puts a rock or book in it to hold it open. Cameras are useless if no one is monitoring them. Sell your staff on security. If need be, use the public school as an example as to the how the principalities of darkness can snuff out life in the pull of a trigger or the slash of a blade. I can tell story after story of how violence has destroyed lives while our nation's children sat to learn.

Acknowledge that our enemy the devil is crafty beyond measure. The public schools are moving ahead with leaps and bounds in the area of security. They have metal detectors and security officers, not to mention fully armed police officers assigned to their schools. The enemy will always look to attack at the weak spot. As you read this, how is your school system secured? Think about it for a moment.

Now that we have sold the staff on security, what do we do now? We have to go to the specialists in the field. Take a simple hour and do some research. Books are a good place to start, but we all have a multitude of tasks already assigned to us that takes most of our time. You can also simply call a security consulting company that specializes in Christian school security. That specialty is very important. A consultant that does not recognize your faith and proclaim the name of your Savior may simply be misguided and uninformed. I personally would be very hesitant to invite someone who could be blinded by the evil of this world and entrust them with the safety of my children. Look to those who have specific knowledge and with whom you will share eternity with for your security concerns.

You will need to address both external and internal threats. Do you really know your staff and their backgrounds? Do you have policies and procedures to protect your children and staff from abuse? The threats from the obvious bad guys are much easier to face than the possible abuser of children in your school. Unfortunate? Yes. A real issue? Absolutely.

How is your school able to deal with natural disasters, or community emergencies? Have you discussed the problems or scenarios with extreme school violence (shootings, stabbings, bombs, etc)? Once again, it's very easy to say that these things only happen in the secular schools; however, we must not be ignorant and unprepared.

In contacting of a security consultant, your consultant should be familiar with several terms, including risk analysis, threat assessment, Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED), as well as traditional crime prevention and law enforcement techniques. As I stated earlier, your consultant should also share your faith and be familiar with Christian school operations and limitations. Ask questions, and don't take anything for granted. If you are not sure about something, ask! When it comes to security, little things make a difference.

Glenn Rambo is the founder and managing member of Brethren Security Consultants LLC, www.brethrensecurity , which is specifically designed for the security needs of the church, Christian school and college.

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