School Safety Training vs School Hardening
School hardening refers to changes in a school’s physical environment to improve safety. This not only includes metal detectors, but also locked doors with badge access, door alarms, panic buttons, phone lockdown codes, ID scanners, bullet-proof glass, security staff on campus, and more.
Hardening has increased in popularity over the years as communities desperately attempt to keep their schools safe. Yet experts are discovering that there is much more to protecting a school than just hardening. According to a September 2025 article published in Education Week, the president of the National School Safety and Security Services, Kenneth Trump, explains that there is a disconnect between what truly works versus what communities want to see in their schools.
“Oftentimes, it’s the less visible or invisible measures that are most impactful: the relationships with kids, the prevention efforts, the social-emotional and mental health supports with kids, the communications, the training of school staff. Those are all things that are so powerful if you do them properly, but they are not things that you can just point to that meets the emotional security needs of the school community.”
– Kenneth Trump, Education Week
School hardening measures are visible. They can be purchased. They can be checked off a list. They can meet the emotional security needs Trump speaks of.
Alternative safety measures, however, can be just as powerful – if not more.
Ongoing training and preparation for an emergency is essential
School safety training is not like riding a bicycle.
School safety is not something you only have to learn once.
School safety requires preparation, training, and practice so that, if the time should ever come, you’re as ready as you can be. That is exactly the thought behind the OSCR360 System for Emergency Preparedness and School Safety.
The OSCR360 System is designed to simplify and speed up planning and training for emergency scenarios. With OSCR360, schools can:
- Document the entire campus, indoors and out, creating a comprehensive virtual walkthrough within the OSCR360 Software.
- Integrate critical safety elements in the virtual walkthrough using OSCR360’s points of interest feature. Highlight important locations, such as entryways and exits, medical equipment, locking doors, metal detectors, security cameras, and more.
- Incorporate and store all relevant maps, training plans, processes, blueprints, and other documents in a single digital location.
- Access the virtual walkthrough during planning meetings and tabletop sessions to develop thorough, accurate emergency plans, without the logistical challenge of scheduling a live visit to the school or reunification site.
- Clearly communicate emergency plans to school staff, first responders, local emergency management, and other stakeholders using a visual, easy-to-understand approach.
- Train teachers and school staff on evacuation routes, lockdown procedures, reunification plans and more during staff meetings or on superintendent conference days.
- Share plans with local law enforcement and emergency responders so they can familiarize themselves with the campus layout and train remotely, without interrupting student learning.
- Plan and train for emergencies that have the potential to occur during extracurriculars, special events, and athletic events.
- Plan and train for post-incident reunification using the same visual walkthrough approach.
Combine planning, training, and hardening for a winning approach to school safety
Does planning and training for potential emergencies guarantee that nothing bad will happen? Of course not.
As with school hardening, mental health initiatives, firearm laws, and other school safety measures, it is best to combine the best practices for the best results. A proactive approach that brings elements of school hardening together with emergency planning and safety training goes a long way to keeping the school community safe.
School Safety Training vs School Hardening: Working together to keep your students safe
After installing school hardening equipment, school staff and first responders must learn how and when to use these tools effectively.
With OSCR360, the communication piece is simplified. School hardening features are easily identified within an OSCR360 virtual tour. Detailed instructions can be included, as well. Teachers can view escape routes, meeting locations, hardened corners, and spaces with bullet-proof glass. First responders can view locked entryways and exits, as well as the location of the lockbox for emergency entry. School staff and administration can view the locations of panic buttons and review lockdown codes. Familiarity with equipment and procedures goes a long way in preparing for the unthinkable.
L-Tron is here to partner with your school community in the quest to keep students and staff safe. Our team includes retired law enforcement officers who are well-versed in school safety, and we have a history of 50 years in business, working with and for public safety and government organizations.
