CEFPI to Host School Security Summit

WASHINGTON — In light of the recent focus on school security issues following the tragic events in Newtown, Conn., and in an effort to help the school community understand the key issues of school security as it relates to the built environment, the Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI) will convene a School Security Summit on Feb. 6, 2013, in Washington, DC.

CEFPI will bring stakeholders together, including educators, administrators, government agencies, elected officials, non-governmental organizations and security experts, with the goal of creating a best practices document addressing school security as it relates to the planning, design and operational protocol of the physical environment. Thoughtful planning and design can support safer school objectives on existing campuses as well as new K-12 construction.

CEFPI members are the front-line decision-makers regarding the built environment, advocating the modernization of school facilities to support 21st century learning. The organization embraces a diverse group of professionals with one single goal — building healthy, safe, high performance and sustainable learning environments that enhance student and teacher performance and support culture and community vitality.

Many school officials are asking the tough but necessary questions about their own district’s stance on safety: Is it effective? Are our children safe? By attending the summit, many officials may get answers on how to improve current systems in order to prepare for the unimaginable.

Not only will members of the summit receive valuable information, but they will be able to take these ideas back to schools in order to better accommodate students, teachers, faculty and staff. The built environment can help everyone at the school thrive by promoting the highest in education, while providing equal safety and security to match.