What 15 years in the industry taught me about building safer schools | Sean Peterson
Working in the physical security industry teaches you to care deeply about the safety of others. Having many K–12 teachers and administrators in my family has made school safety feel personal for as long as I can remember. Add to that my own experience volunteering as a high school football coach, where I was trained on school safety policies and procedures, and I’ve seen first-hand both the dedication of staff and the gaps that can remain when it comes to protecting students.
When I first joined Aiphone, the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary occurred. It was my first time witnessing, up close, what reactive safety and security measures look like: the urgent calls for change, the scramble for solutions, and the overwhelming emotion from communities desperate to protect the ones they care most about. That moment collided my personal connections to education with my professional background in security in ways that are hard to describe.
Those experiences left me with a deep respect for the people tasked with protecting our children and a clear understanding that safety is never guaranteed. Today, the conversation about school security is louder and more urgent than ever. We’re constantly reminded that threats can take many forms from intruders to severe weather, from bullying to medical emergencies.
Understanding today’s school security challenges
Unlike fire safety, which has decades of well-established national codes, school security has no single standard. Most districts are left to create their own policies, choose their own technology, and train staff based on a patchwork of guidance. Large school districts may have the resources to handle this, but too often it leaves administrators, already stretched thin, making high-stakes security decisions without a clear, consistent playbook. In that uncertainty, it’s easy to miss critical vulnerabilities or spend precious resources on the wrong priorities.
Over the years, I’ve learned that one of the hardest parts of improving school safety is simply knowing where to start. Every school is different, and without a clear roadmap, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. That’s why I appreciate the work of the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS).
PASS guidelines: industry standards for K-12 security
PASS is a nonprofit alliance that brings together experts from education, public safety, and the security industry to develop free, practical guidelines for K–12 safety. Their most recent 2025 guidelines provide schools with a clear, practical roadmap, including updates around digital infrastructure, visitor entry, and emergency communication.
Aiphone is proud to be a PASS sponsor, helping support their mission to provide schools with trusted, research-based strategies for safer learning environments. It’s not the only approach out there, but it’s one we believe in because it’s practical, adaptable, and built by people who genuinely understand both security and education.
From guidelines to implementation: Aiphone’s K-12 security solutions
Aiphone’s products align with and support many of the PASS recommendations, especially in the areas of controlling who enters a building and making sure people can communicate in a crisis. With an estimated 40,000 schools across North America already relying on Aiphone intercom systems, we are proud to be one of the most trusted providers of security communication solutions for schools. For me, that’s what makes PASS valuable. It’s not just theory, it’s a framework that schools can actually put into action, and we can help them do it.
What I have learned in my decade plus in the security industry is that there is no one single right answer for school safety. Every school has different needs, budgets, and challenges. However, one approach that consistently makes a difference is layering protection. This means building multiple safeguards that work together, from the property line all the way to the classroom. Here’s what that looks like in practice:
District-wide safety policies and staff training
PASS reminds us that technology alone can’t replace people and planning. Aiphone supports this by making sure communication systems are simple enough for everyone to use, so procedures connect seamlessly to real-world tools.
Campus perimeter control and emergency communication
Fences, gates, lighting, and monitored parking lots help control who comes and goes. On larger campuses, Aiphone’s emergency towers and wall boxes paired with our ADA-compliant emergency intercoms give students and staff direct access to help across open spaces like parking lots and athletic fields.
Securing building entry with video intercoms and access control
This is where Aiphone has the greatest impact. PASS guidelines emphasize the importance of both modern visitor communication and modern access control at school entrances.
On the communication side, video intercom systems allow staff to visually and verbally verify visitors before granting entry, which is a major upgrade from outdated door buzzers. Aiphone provides a full range of video intercom solutions designed specifically for secure entry points, giving schools better visibility and control over who comes through their doors.
But communication alone isn’t enough. Too often, schools still rely on outdated access control methods, like issuing master keys. When I volunteered as a high school coach, I was given a single key that unlocked nearly every door in the building. While I could be trusted, what if I had lost it? That one piece of metal represented unrestricted access to locker rooms, classrooms, and offices with no way to track or revoke it.
PASS encourages schools to phase out these vulnerabilities by adopting modern electronic access control systems with features like card readers, user-specific permissions, event logging, and integration with other security platforms. Aiphone supports this approach by offering integrated intercom and access control solutions that provide administrators with visibility, accountability, and the peace of mind that comes from knowing access is managed, not left to chance.
Classroom communication and paging systems
Door locks, communication tools, and emergency protocols protect students where they spend the most time. Aiphone provides paging solutions, classroom communication, and integration with critical tools like panic alarms and cameras, giving staff a reliable way to reach help without leaving their classrooms.
Digital infrastructure layer: connected security systems for schools
PASS’s latest guidelines added a brand-new digital infrastructure layer, recognizing that safe schools today depend on more than just locked doors but that they rely on secure, connected systems. Aiphone designs its solutions to integrate seamlessly into unified security platforms and ecosystems, ensuring intercoms, access control, video, and emergency communication all work together.
When systems are connected, schools can respond faster and more effectively to incidents. Staff benefit from simpler training and consistent tools across the district, while administrators gain the flexibility to strengthen safety layer by layer as needs grow and budgets allow. Just as important, modern IP-based systems are built with cybersecurity in mind, helping schools protect not only their physical spaces but also their digital networks.
Aligning safety standards with a trusted technology partner
What I’ve learned in my career is that school safety is never one-size-fits-all. But with the right framework schools can make smart, sustainable choices. And with the right partners, like Aiphone, they can ensure that communication and access control are strengths, not vulnerabilities.
Because at the end of the day, this work isn’t just about products or policies. It’s about giving teachers, administrators, parents, and students the peace of mind that their school is a safe place to learn and grow.
At Aiphone, we’re proud to be a sponsor of PASS and to support their mission of helping schools create safer environments. If your district is beginning its journey with PASS or looking to upgrade existing systems, we’d love to be part of the conversation.
Frequently asked questions
Q: What is PASS?
A: The Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS) is a nonprofit organization that bridges education, public safety, and security industry expertise to help schools make informed safety decisions. PASS creates research-based guidelines and checklists that reflect security best practices specific to K-12 environments. The most recent version of the PASS Guidelines, version seventh, was released in July 2025.
Q: Why are video intercoms important in schools?
A: Video intercoms are important because they allow school staff to visually and verbally verify visitors before granting entry. These systems also improve internal communication for emergencies and daily announcements while creating a visual record of campus activity for security and accountability.
Q: How does modern access control improve school security?
A: Modern electronic access control eliminates vulnerabilities of traditional master keys. These systems provide user-specific permissions, event logging, and integration capabilities. Administrators can track who accessed areas and when, instantly revoke access if needed, and maintain building-wide accountability. PASS guidelines encourage phasing out outdated methods in favor of these transparent, controllable systems.
Q: Why are emergency towers and mass notification systems important in schools?
A: Emergency towers and wall boxes provide direct help access across campus in areas like stairways, parking lots, and athletic fields. Mass notification systems enable district-wide or campus-wide communication. The best approach uses both technologies together, ensuring comprehensive emergency communication coverage with no gaps.
Q: What integrations does Aiphone offer for K-12 school environments?
A: Aiphone integrates with cameras, video management systems, access control, and mass notification systems from leading providers like Milestone, Genetec, Hanwha, Bosch, Alertus, and more. These integrations create unified responses instead of isolated systems. Schools can automate actions like triggering cameras or locking doors during emergencies for faster incident response.