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Now in its second year, the CDW-G School Safety Index
provides a nationwide, first-hand view of school safety
issues from the perspective of over 400 district IT and
security directors.
Based on eight indicators (strengths) and four
contraindicators (challenges), survey respondents
evaluated and assessed their districts’ cyber and physical
security measures, highlighting strong school safety
program elements, as well as the barriers to school
safety.
Participate in the School Safety Index with the online Self-Assessment Tool, and compare your school’s safety program to the national average. The Self-Assessment Tool highlights security areas that need improvement, enabling school leaders to leverage support for safety and security initiatives.
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Working with Quality Education Data, CDW-G surveyed 403 K-12 district IT and security directors to:
- Evaluate districts’ cyber and physical security
- Assess current cyber and physical security measures
- Understand the impact of cyber and physical security education and communication
- Understand the proliferation of security breaches
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Based on research from Quality Education Data, national safety organizations and CDW-G’s market expertise, the CDW-G School Safety Index’s eight indicators and four contraindicators represent the elements of an overall security program. The CDW-G School Safety Index sets a national benchmark to gauge the current status of school safety and outlines steps for improvement. Additionally, the Index focuses on the convergence of schools’ IT and physical security tools.
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New Tools Lock Down the Network
- Districts are actively using new tools and techniques to improve cyber safety, including network access control (NAC), to ensure only authorized users and applications can access the network
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Barriers Still Loom Large
- Despite the availability of tools to improve cyber safety, IT security breaches are up, and one-third of districts reported that their networks are vulnerable to attack. Budget constraints and limited staff resources are also barriers to improving cyber and physical security
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Physical Safety Pushes Ahead of Cyber Safety
- Mass notification systems and increased use of security cameras give physical safety an edge
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"Eye in the Sky" Access Improves Police Response
- More districts should consider utilizing the "Internet" in IP-security cameras to give local police and fire departments real-time access to footage during an emergency
Cyber Security
- Network access control (NAC) ensures that every computer on a district’s network is secure by providing updates to each user’s applications and applying security patches. 57% of districts are using NAC
- IT security breaches are up in every segment but urban. Overall, 14% of districts reported at least one IT security breach in the last 12 months, up from 9% in 2007
- 31% of districts reported that their networks are "in need of improvement," "somewhat vulnerable" or "very vulnerable" to attack
Physical Security
- Districts have numerous tools available to secure their buildings and to monitor access:
- 70% use security cameras, the leading method for monitoring buildings
- 32% use ID cards
- 28% have real-time access to sex offender databases
- 26% use security teams
- Mass notification systems have the ability to reach staff, parents and students quickly and wherever they are. Districts should not only ensure that information is delivered, but also that it is received as quickly as possible using multiple communication methods
Barriers
What are the biggest barriers to IT security?
What are the biggest barriers to physical security?
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- QED conducted a phone survey of district IT and security personnel in April 2008
- A total of 403 IT and security personnel from a variety of K-12 public school districts – from urban to rural – completed the survey
- The sample size equates to a +/- 5% margin of error at a 95% confidence level
- Calculating the CDW-G School Safety Index:
- Each positive indicator question is based on a value of 10
- Each contraindicator question is based on a value of -10
- Using the data from the national survey, the percentages were divided by 10, resulting in a numeric value
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