Lockdown-ready access control and accessible entry, phased around the school calendar.
installations over 10+ years
support for managed-service clients
Rated 4.9/5 by 110+ NYC corporations
Operating throughout New York
School security systems in NYC must keep a building open to learning and able to close quickly, yet most are bought piece by piece.
Too many keys
Master keys go home with staff and contractors.
Key-dependent lockdown
A teacher should never have to step into the corridor to lock a door.
Mixed systems
One platform in the main building, another in the gym, keys in the annex.
Visitors on paper
The front office cannot see who is inside now.
School access control will serve the building for 10 to 20 years, so we settle the platform before the hardware. As a certified Salto dealer, we lead K-12 projects with Salto access control because it passes each test below.
| K-12 access control test | Why it matters | How Salto meets it |
|---|---|---|
| Classroom lockdown | No one steps into the corridor. | Lockdown triggered at the lock with an authorized card, or remotely by administrators. |
| Offline locks | Doors keep working if the network drops. | Battery locks on the SVN data-on-card network, with no wiring to every door. |
| Cloud, on-premise or hybrid | Change model later without replacing locks. | Salto KS in the cloud; Salto Space on-premise for larger campuses. |
| Open integrations | Access follows enrollment and employment. | Open API to the student information system, HR and visitor management; integrations with Genetec and LenelS2 OnGuard. |
| No vendor lock-in | Budgets and platforms change over a 10–20-year life. | Locks keep working offline, and you can move between cloud, on-premise or hybrid later. On another platform? We assess integration or migration across our access control systems. |
Two projects: compliant access control in an existing building, and work that never stopped the school day.
Problem. Modern access control and accessible entry without replacing every door.
What we did. Retrofitted electrified hardware onto existing doors, installed an NDAA-compliant on-premise Salto access control system, and supplied two new ADA-compliant swinging doors.
Result. Controlled, accessible entry on a compliant platform. Read the Lexington School for the Deaf case study
Problem. New low-voltage systems while classes continued.
What we did. With SPK/Lewis, phased installation of automated lighting controls (Cooper) and a PA system (AtlasIED).
Result. Delivered while the school stayed open. See the Washington Market School project
Planning a summer upgrade? We will walk the campus and map a phased plan. Request a site assessment
A school security system works when access, visitors, video, alarms and the network are designed together, by one accountable team.
K-12 access control
Exterior doors, classrooms and offices, with role-based schedules and staff ID badges as credentials.
Secure entry
A secure vestibule with visitor management and an IP video intercom, so every visitor is seen and logged before the inner door releases.
CCTV for schools
HD IP cameras at entrances, corridors and perimeters, with analytics that flag after-hours motion and loitering.
Alarms and alerts
Intrusion detection by perimeter zone, door position monitoring with propped-door alerts, and panic and duress buttons for staff.
Communication
PA and emergency mass notification planned with lockdown, on the structured cabling and low voltage that carries every device.
Network security
Security devices on their own network segment, hardened, with secure remote access through our network security services.
One accountable team
When a classroom lock ignores a lockdown command, facilities makes one call. We design, install, cable and configure every layer, and engineer and fabricate doors in-house.
Security systems for schools in NYC must meet state law, egress, accessibility and federal equipment rules at once. We settle each at design stage.
Alyssa's Law
New York's Alyssa's Law (2022) requires school districts to consider silent panic alarms that alert law enforcement directly. We design those alarms into the access control and intrusion system so they work alongside lockdown.
Lockdown with free egress
A locked classroom must still open from inside with a single motion, without a key, tool or special knowledge. Electrified locks are coordinated with the fire alarm vendor.
Accessibility
Hardware works without tight grasping; readers and intercoms sit at accessible heights.
NDAA Section 889
Federally funded projects cannot spend those funds on video surveillance equipment from Hikvision, Dahua or Hytera used for security purposes. We specify NDAA-compliant cameras only (Axis, Genetec), recorded on exacqVision.
Phasing and campuses
We design the full system once, then phase it to match budgets or funding rounds. Campus security systems across several buildings run from one centralized dashboard.
A school security project is planned backwards from the academic calendar.
Entrances, classrooms and existing systems, with facilities, IT and leadership.
Our security design team phases the system around your approval process.
Every door, camera and lockdown function is verified.
Front-office staff learn users, reports and lockdown.
Backed by a 12-month warranty. Managed service and maintenance adds 24/7 support for existing clients on managed service and maintenance, with a 4-hour response on critical failures.
Campuses are phased across breaks.
FAQs
Straight answers for school facilities.
The best K-12 access control system is one the school can live with for 10 to 20 years: lockdown, offline locks, cloud or on-premise choice and open integrations. That is why we often lead with Salto.
School access control can lock down classrooms from one place when the locks support it. With Salto, lockdown runs at a lock with an authorized card or remotely from an app, while doors still open from inside.
CCTV for schools in NYC needs to be NDAA-compliant when federal funds are involved, under Section 889. We specify compliant cameras on every school project.
The cost of a school security system depends on door count, wired or battery locks, licensing, camera count and cabling. We price the full design, then phase it to fit each budget cycle.
School security cameras keep footage for the period set in school policy. We agree retention with leadership and IT, then size exacqVision storage to match.
We install security systems while the school is open by phasing work into evenings, weekends and breaks. Washington Market School stayed open throughout.
One partner to design, install and maintain your school's security, phased around your calendar.
