June 2007 Editor's Letter
By: Jill Pinheiro

As I write this, it's just a couple of weeks after the shootings at Virginia Tech, and school security is at the forefront of the minds of many people: educators, parents, students. As a school administrator, I know you struggle with how to keep students and faculty members safe at your educational facility, both inside and out.

In our section on school security in this issue, we cover safety from a variety of aspects, including securing your grounds, protecting your students online, and monitoring visitors.

First, we tackle external and physical security measures. According to writer Vona Cox, "Depending on the challenges you are facing, you could have physical security measures at the perimeter, at the face of the facility, and measures internal to the structure. Taking a holistic approach is the only way to balance performance with an aesthetically pleasing result."

Next, we address your school's computer security policies. Writer P.L. McClurg says, "Accountability removes the temptation of a secret life lived in darkness. Fostering self-control and personal discipline, accountability causes people to think about their choices when using the Internet."

Finally, we cover high-tech options for tracking those who visit your school. "To improve security and keep better track of visitors and contractors, many organizations have implemented an electronic visitor management system to replace the paper guest log," says writer Howard Marson.

I hope that our school security coverage will prove useful to you as you evaluate your security measures, internally and externally, to maximize the safety of everyone on your campus.

I'm always interested in hearing from you. You can reach me at jill@cspmag.com .

God Bless,

Jill Pinheiro
Managing Editor