School security vendor questionnaire

This questionnaire is for heads of school, early-childhood center directors, business managers, and boards comparing security providers.

Start with the quick quote below. A few short questions, about 90 seconds, and you have a clean school security brief to send to us or share with your board. We plan coverage around the arrival, dismissal, and event schedule your school already runs.

The full questionnaire follows. Asking every provider the same questions makes the answers easy to compare, and some are for your own team, because security works best inside a plan the school has already set. Confirm school-specific legal requirements with your counsel. It prints cleanly with your browser’s Print command (Ctrl+P, or Cmd+P on a Mac).

Quick quote

Get a quote in about 90 seconds

Full planning checklist (optional)

Credentials

What credentials do your company and the officers proposed for our campus hold for this work, and are they current?

Insurance documentation

Can you provide a current certificate of insurance showing the coverage types and limits our school requires?
Will you name the school, and any other party our contracts require, as an additional insured?
Who should our business office or broker contact to confirm coverage?

Staffing consistency and supervision

Will the same officers be assigned to our campus each day, and how are absences covered?
How are substitute officers briefed on our campus, routines, and staff before their first shift?
Who supervises the officers, and how often does a supervisor visit or check in?
Who is our account contact, and how are concerns about an officer handled?

Background checks

What background screening do you do, such as criminal history, employment history, and reference checks?
Which checks do our own policies, accreditation, or licensing require for contractors on campus, and will the provider meet them?
How do you decide which officers are suited to a campus with young children?

Training the school requires

The school decides what training it requires. Ask for documentation rather than a general assurance.

Are assigned officers current in CPR and first aid, and can you show certificates?
What de-escalation training have they completed, and when?
Will officers take part in our drills and learn our procedures for visitors, lockdowns, and reunification?
Who delivers campus-specific training to new or substitute officers?

Responsibilities

Agree these in writing before the first shift. A good provider will want the same clarity.

The school owns its emergency operations plan. Officers follow it; they do not write their own.
Officers do not discipline students. Student behavior stays with teachers and administrators.
Officers do not decide who may pick up a child. Release decisions follow the school’s authorized pickup list and stay with school staff.
Officers do not have police powers. Medical emergencies and crimes go to 911.
The officer’s actual tasks are listed: for example, visitor screening at the door, perimeter checks, arrival and dismissal support, and event coverage.

Communication with administrators

Who on the school staff directs the officer each day?
How does the officer reach an administrator during the day: radio, phone, or in person?
How are early dismissals, closures, and schedule changes passed to the provider?
Is there a regular check-in between the provider and the school?

Incident reporting

What does an incident report include, and how soon does the school receive it?
Who at the school receives reports, and who at the provider reviews them?
Are daily activity logs kept, and can the school see them?
How are reports stored, and who can access them, given that they may involve students?

Arrival and dismissal support

Where is the officer positioned during arrival and dismissal, and what is the role there?
How does the officer support the staff running the pickup line without making release decisions?
If the car line reaches a public street, has the school asked its local police department what role, if any, private security may have there?
What does the officer do when the line backs up or a parent becomes upset?

After-hours events

Can the provider cover evening performances, fundraisers, sporting events, and weekend rentals?
Will those shifts use officers who already know the campus?
How are extra hours requested, scheduled, and billed?

Armed or unarmed

Whether officers are armed is the school’s decision, made with its board, counsel, and insurer and within the law that applies to the campus. A provider should explain its recommendation, not make the choice for you. For background, see armed vs. unarmed security.

Does the provider offer both, and what does it recommend for a campus like ours, and why?
If armed: what credentials do the assigned officers carry under, and what policies govern carrying and securing a firearm on campus?
Has our insurer or broker reviewed the choice?

References

Can you provide references from schools, early-childhood centers, or similar campuses you currently serve?
Can we speak with an administrator at one of those sites?
How long have your officers typically stayed on a school assignment?

Before you compare providers

Some schools find it useful to decide what coverage they need before asking for proposals. A security risk assessment can help with that, and security officer proposals are easier to compare once the posts and hours are defined.