Back in the day, the schools were a fun place and there was not much violence except an occasional fight or two and, even they were not really serious. However, nowadays, schools have become a target for attacks and the probability of the kids getting harmed while in the classroom or the school premises has increased immensely. Therefore, it is worthwhile to look into the means of increasing safety and security of schools.

Building design and construction
There are special considerations even when constructing the facility. Most of the time things like intumescent paint for steel are applied on the exposed steel structures even if it is not required by law as this will allow extra time during an evacuation due to fire. It needs to be understood that tasks such as this cannot be completed by anyone and, the assistance of professionals who have experience in the field is required. Strong materials should be used during construction so that the building will not collapse even under harsh circumstances and the design should ensure the ease of implementing evacuation procedures during an emergency situation and, at the same time, should not give easy access to the whole facility .Parking of vehicles and drop off and pickup zones should be clearly demarcated to minimize traffic and also to increase the ability of screening the entrants to the buildings.

Physical security measures
The old fashioned security measures still work even though they may not be really effective against a planned attack. However, the security personnel will be quite useful for implementing the daily routines and also in assisting during an evacuation. As we all know, fires are a major cause of destruction and the worst is that fires may be caused due to various reasons and may occur at any instance. Even though, intumescent coatings play a major role in delaying the destructions, the occupants will have to be taken out of the building as fast as possible if the fire is too large or cannot be stopped and, the security personnel can help to manage the evacuees in an orderly manner.Security cameras, high walls, barb wires, etc. can also deter a potential intruder to a certain level but most of these mechanisms are ineffective if the issue starts inside the premises, especially inside washrooms and blind spots. However, the use of cameras in the premises will allow the administrators to clearly identify the culprits if the issue occurs within the range of vicinity of the camera and, this may deter at least some of the trouble makers.

Counselling
Changing the mind-set of the students can put an end to most of the violence that takes place in schools. Counselling plays a major role in this as, through this process, the students, teachers, etc. get the ability to let out their emotions before the emotions take the best of them. Therefore, not only the design considerations of the physical structures but also the mentality of the stakeholders should be taken into account when making plans to improve the safety and security of establishments such as schools.