Written By: Brad Campbell | January 23, 2025
As the year starts up, it’s a good time to review school security plans and look at potentially upgrading physical protection with school security solutions from Riot Glass.
Riot Glass offers a variety of school security glazing solutions to protect against a full range of threats, from worst-case active threat scenarios to burglary, vandalism, and even storm damage.
ArmorPlast AP25 is our flagship containment-grade (i.e., forced entry-resistant) retrofit security glazing, ideal for creating access denial barriers in schools.
AP25 is a polycarbonate-based security glazing that is virtually unbreakable — would-be intruders can hammer away at it and it’s not going to give way. In fact, despite only being a containment-grade solution, AP25 will remain intact even if penetrated by bullets, making it ideal for keeping active shooters out of schools.
Being a retrofit solution, AP25 can be secured on top of (overglazed) or behind (backglazed) almost any existing glass surface, including windows and doors, using retrofittable framing adapters. These low-profile framing adapters fix the ArmorPlast glazing securely in place while preserving the original appearance and function of windows and doors.
Retrofitting AP25 over vulnerable glass is a cost-effective way for schools to ramp up physical protection and protect staff and students from active threats by denying attackers entry to buildings and classrooms.
For an even higher level of active threat protection, schools may want to consider installing ballistic-grade (bullet-resistant) Riot Glass or ArmorPlast.
Ballistic-grade school security solutions are available in a wide range of models and styles, with different compositions, thicknesses, and bullet resistance levels.
It’s important to note that no security glazing is 100% bulletproof, but installing ballistic-grade glazing in a school’s windows and doors can provide an extra layer of active threat protection, especially during the key first few moments of an attack.
By stopping bullets, this glazing provides school occupants with more time to react by running, hiding, and sheltering in place until law enforcement arrives and neutralizes the threat.
Depending on the specific composition, thickness, and weight of the ballistic-grade security glazing, it can either be retrofitted on top of existing glass surfaces or used to replace the original door or window glass. It can also be used in new construction, making it an important consideration for districts building new facilities as the push for glass hardening mandates in schools across the U.S. gains momentum.
Many schools feature multiple glass entryway doors, creating an open, inviting learning atmosphere from the moment students walk into the building. But these glass entryways are also incredibly vulnerable to forced entry, calling for robust school security solutions that prevent unauthorized access without detracting from the benefits of the glass doors.
For fortifying school entryway doors against forced entry without making them look fortified, Riot Glass offers unbreakable entryway door conversion kits.
This system combines ArmorPlast Gen II Series security framing (in this case, the door framing) with ballistic-grade AP75 security glazing infills (the panes of glass in the doors), resulting in an incredibly durable forced entry- AND bullet-resistant entryway door unit.
AP75 has a UL 752 Level 1 ballistic resistance rating, meaning it can stop bullets from 9mm handguns, and has even passed the rigorous ASTM F3038 testing protocol, which simulates a prolonged forced entry attempt by an armed mob. This system is strong enough to be used in government facilities, showing just how secure it can make school entrances.
Deciding on the best school security upgrades involves a number of factors, including specific goals, budget, and perceived threat levels.
However, hardening schools against active threats and other security threats typically requires a multi-layered approach that will often employ a combination of the school security solutions mentioned above, as well as other security measures, including access control, alarm, and surveillance systems.
Oftentimes, the way to get started with a school security retrofit is by conducting a school threat assessment, or a professional evaluation of a school’s threat levels and vulnerabilities. This assessment will provide actionable recommendations on what security upgrades, including security glazing solutions, to implement, factoring in budget and other limitations or concerns.
For example, the security expert might note that a school has modern door locks, access control systems, cameras, and alarms, but there’s nothing to prevent an attacker from shooting out a pane of glass to unlock and open a door from the inside. So, they would likely recommend retrofitting vulnerable doors and windows with at least forced-entry resistant security glazing.
If perceived threat levels are high (for example, if the school is located in an area plagued by gun violence), the threat assessment might also recommend retrofitting the most vulnerable areas with bullet-resistant security glazing to provide more protection for students and staff, whether it’s against stray bullets or targeted violence.
The role of security glazing in providing robust school security solutions is undeniable — there’s nothing like virtually unbreakable glass when it comes to preparing schools for the worst.
From preventing forced entry and burglary to mitigating active threats, Riot Glass solutions are designed specifically with school security in mind.
Retrofitting a school’s doors and windows with Riot Glass or ArmorPlast security glazing is a proactive step that protects schools and their occupants without detracting from the learning environment or hurting their curb appeal.
Contact Riot Glass today for more information or to schedule a threat assessment.
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