“How Secured School Doors Saved Lives”

New Research Reinforces the Critical Role of Certified Door Hardware in School Safety

New school safety research reinforces an important message for BHMA members: code-compliant, standards-based and certified door hardware can play a meaningful role in protecting students, educators and staff when every second matters.

A first-of-its-kind study by the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center at Texas State University, conducted in partnership with the Security Industry Association (SIA), analyzed 54 school-based active shooter incidents from 2000 to 2025. The findings provide empirical support for the value of properly specified, installed, maintained and consistently used door hardware that meets applicable codes, recognized standards and certification expectations as part of a layered school safety strategy.

Secured Doors Can Help Reduce Harm

The study found that unsecured doors were repeatedly associated with greater casualty risk. Sixty-nine percent of successful perpetrator entries occurred through an unsecured door, and nearly two-thirds of doors involved in incidents were unlocked or intentionally propped open at the time of attack. Casualty likelihood was three times higher when doors were unsecured compared with secured doors.

Notably, no functioning locked door in the dataset was successfully breached by defeating the locking mechanism. Secured doors helped delay movement, support lockdowns and provide critical time for notifications and response.

What This Means for BHMA Members

For BHMA members, the study reinforces the essential value of certified, standards-compliant door hardware that supports code requirements as well as real-world security performance. It also underscores that school safety depends on more than the presence of a lock. Hardware must be selected appropriately, installed correctly, maintained consistently and used as intended within clear school safety procedures.

The research also creates an opportunity for BHMA members to educate school administrators, facility teams, policymakers and design professionals about the importance of tested, certified products that balance security performance with code compliance, accessibility, egress, fire and life-safety requirements and daily usability.

Turning Research Into Action

The report points to several priorities that align closely with BHMA member expertise: functional classroom locks that can be engaged from inside the room, routine maintenance and repairs, careful evaluation of common areas and glass features and avoidance of aftermarket devices that may create code, egress or life-safety concerns. These priorities reinforce the need for solutions that are not only effective in emergencies, but also standards-compliant, professionally specified and appropriate for everyday school use.

As school safety conversations continue, BHMA members can use this research to support informed decision-making and reinforce the importance of codes, standards, certification and professional expertise. Well-designed and properly maintained openings are more than building components, they are part of a broader safety strategy that can help protect school communities while maintaining the compliance, accessibility and life-safety principles that schools depend on every day.

Resources:

• SIA site link for the Texas State research
• SDI site link for the research
• Department of Education site link for the $93MM grant program for school security
• SIA site post for the $93MM grant program