 |
|
|
The CDW-G School Safety Index is a national research project benchmarking the current status of public school district safety. Based on 14 elements of physical and cyber safety, the survey of 381 school district IT and security directors highlights the indicators of strong district safety programs, as well as the barriers to school safety.
Participate in the School Safety Index with the 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.
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|
CDW-G worked with Quality Education Data to conduct a survey of K-12 public school district IT directors and security directors to reveal the findings for the School Safety Index. Specific objectives of this study were 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
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
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 aims to focus attention on the convergence of IT and physical security in public school districts. The index measures districts’ strengths in both physical and cyber security.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
- Physical Safety Trails Cyber Safety:
- Districts score higher on cyber safety, lacking some of the crucial elements to improve physical safety programs
- Over-reliance on Technical Solutions:
- Districts rely too much on software to protect students, faculty and their networks from threats. Safety education is not a priority
- Students Outpace IT Staff in Technology Skills:
- Students know all too well how to side-step security measures. Student-designed proxy servers continue to frustrate IT departments
- Communication Lags:
- The majority of districts still prefer the phone over other methods when communicating emergency information to the community, many cite outdated campus infrastructure as a barrier to using new technology
- Small Budgets Loom Large:
- District say that lack of budget, staff resources and proper tools hinder their ability to properly protect themselves
Cyber Security
- Top district IT safety programs:
- 95 percent block or limit Web sites
- 89 percent place computers in view of adults
- 81 percent monitor student web activity
- 38 percent maintain a closed district network
- Districts rely on filtering software as a primary defense method. More districts could benefit from using safety education as a tool to improve security.
What are some additional ways your district protects students while they are online?
Physical Security
- At 63 percent, security cameras are the leading access control method among districts
- During an emergency, real-time access and instant communication with local authorities improves response time and the ability to quickly address situations
- Only 35 percent of districts are connected to authorities
Barriers
What are the biggest barriers to IT security?
What are the biggest barriers to physical security?
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
The CDW-G K-12 School Safety Index is based on a survey of 381 public school district IT and security directors. The survey was conducted online and by phone by Quality Education Data. The survey has a +/- 5 percent margin of error at a 95 percent confidence level.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
