School Security Assessments

In 2019, Fentress served as a subconsultant to Major Security Consulting and Design, LLC. The Major-Fentress Team conducted a comprehensive assessment of the Stafford County, VA public and central office campus and provided recommendations for a systematic approach for improving school security.

Stafford County, VA is a largely suburban community with a population of nearly 150,000 residents, located midway between Washington, DC and Richmond, VA. The school system has 33 total schools, including elementary, middle, and high schools, public day schools, and an alternative education program. With nearly 30,000 students, the school system is the largest accredited school division in the Commonwealth of VA.

As concerns over school security and safety have increased in recent years, the Stafford County Public Schools (SCPS) wanted a comprehensive assessment of its school facilities and overall security programs and policies. Over a period of two months, the Major-Fentress Team conducted security assessments of 14 school facilities and the central office campus.

The assessments included physical inspections of the interior and exterior of the facilities as well as observations of student, teacher, staff, and visitor movements and procedures. The assessments were conducted using a modified CARVER assessment methodology, an approach based on six risk factors (criticality, accessibility, recuperability, vulnerability, effect, and recognizability). The team also applied Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles and industry best practices in design and security to the assessments.

In addition to the assessments, the Major-Fentress Team interviewed teachers, staff members, and administrators at individual facilities and the central office, including the head of the SCPS Department of Safety and Security, the SCPS Superintendent, and the Chief Officer of High Schools and School Safety.  During these interviews, feedback was collected on security practices that work well and areas of deficiency or need. The team also attended after-school and evening events and observed visitor and staff activities both inside and outside of the facilities.

The Major-Fentress Team reviewed numerous SCPS policies and procedural documents, including:

• Pupil transportation and attendance system
• Pupil transportation bus routing map
• Department of Safety, Security, and Risk Management (DSSRM) budgetary and staffing requirements
• School security officer staffing, assignments, supervision, and job requirements
• Threat assessment procedures for individual student and facility-based threats
• Crisis management plans
• Security processes and planning for large events, such as football games, graduations, and special events
• Current security protocols and internal electronic security technology (CCTV, duress alarms, access control)
• Training processes, competency, and fluency/fluidity
• Memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Stafford County Sheriff's Office and SCPS
• Physical and procedural security improvement strategies
• Current bullying code of conduct policies and procedures
• Central Office access control procedures
• Pupil transportation pick-up and drop-off procedures
• SCPS Emergency Management Plan