Everytown tracked 193 gunfire incidents on school grounds during the 2021-22 school year; nearly four times what districts saw before the pandemic and the highest total recorded since 2013. For district leaders, facilities directors, and safety coordinators, the process of choosing lockdown systems involves more moving parts than most expect. Code compliance, procurement structure, implementation schedules, and staff training requirements all determine whether a safety plan holds up long-term. This guide walks through each stage.
This guide covers:
- Procurement checklist
- Compliance considerations
- 90-day rollout plan
- Training and maintenance guidance
Code-Compliant Approach • Works Across Facilities • Designed for Fast Deployment
Who Should Be Involved (Stakeholders + Decision Roles)
There are many people who should be involved in deciding the best lockdown system for their facility or school. We’ll break it down quickly next.
Facilities managers see mechanical systems and code requirements. Security personnel focus on threat response. School administrators balance safety with daily operations. IT staff worry about network integration. Classroom teachers know how procedures work when a building is full of students.
Getting all of them in the same room early surfaces conflicts before contracts get signed.
School resource officers understand law enforcement coordination. HR leadership knows personnel policies. Legal and risk management staff track liability exposure. Special education coordinators handle accommodation requirements. Assign clear ownership across procurement and implementation to prevent gaps and duplicate effort.
Requirements Checklist: What to Evaluate Before You Talk to Vendors
Building Conditions & Campus-Wide Coverage
Start with what you have. Assess door types, frame conditions, and existing hardware at every facility before reaching out to a single vendor. The Boot™ door barricade works with nearly any door that swings inward or outward, including single and double configurations; a practical reality for districts managing buildings from multiple construction eras. A district where some buildings have robust lockdown capability, and others do not, is a district with a known vulnerability. Lockdown protection has to be uniform across every campus, regardless of age or construction type.
Operational Use: Simplicity Under Stress
In an actual emergency, staff will not pause to consult a manual. How fast can someone activate a given system? Does it require tools, codes, or multi-step recall? Systems that demand too much under stress become problems rather than solutions.
Communication & Navigation
The SmartBoot System® uses Bluetooth Low Energy technology to deliver building-wide alerts simultaneously, notifying law enforcement dispatch in real time the moment a lockdown is triggered. Faculty, administration, and first responders are all connected through the same activation. When law enforcement arrives, every second spent searching for the right room or entry point is a second lost. LockOut Co.’s advanced safety signage systems, acrylic facility maps, and Critical Incident Maps work together so responders have what they need before they reach the door.
Use our audit checklist before your first vendor call.
Compliance, Egress & Accessibility Considerations
Why Egress Matters
A lockdown device that traps occupants or blocks emergency personnel from gaining access (without easy removal from occupants) is not a safety solution. Before signing any purchase agreement, ask vendors specifically how their products satisfy egress requirements in your state and jurisdiction. Get that answer in writing.
Accessibility & Special Populations
Accommodations for students with disabilities are vital during lockdowns and drills. Ask how each system handles those requirements during scheduled exercises and actual emergencies, not just what the sales presentation claims it can do.
Avoiding Non-Compliant “Barricade” Approaches
Door wedges, rope ties, and belt anchors might seem practical, but many jurisdictions treat them as fire code violations. Look for solutions with documented law enforcement endorsements behind them. The Boot™ is endorsed by the Michigan Sheriff’s Association and several additional law enforcement entities.
Talk to us about compliance considerations for your facilities.
Procurement: RFP + Vendor Evaluation
When an RFP Makes Sense
Districts buying security systems at scale typically benefit from a formal request for proposals. The structure forces you to document evaluation criteria up front, which matters when multiple stakeholders have competing priorities. It also produces a record you can defend later if procurement decisions get questioned by the board or community.
Vendor Comparison Scorecard
Separate what you require from what you prefer before scoring begins. Mixing the two skews evaluation results toward features that sound appealing rather than the ones your facilities actually need.
Criteria | Must-Have | Nice-to-Have |
Code/egress compliance | ✓ | |
Law enforcement endorsement | ✓ | |
Works on all door types | ✓ | |
Real-time law enforcement alert | ✓ | |
Building-wide visual/audio alert | ✓ | |
Integrated maps & signage | ✓ | |
Gunshot detection | ✓ | |
Free site evaluation | ✓ |
Implementation: The 90-Day Rollout Plan
Document what you have before placing orders. Walk every facility, check door conditions and hardware, and review emergency protocols. The gaps you identify in week one cost far less to address than the ones you discover in week seven. Start with one building or a designated section in weeks three through six. Train staff, put procedures on paper, and gather structured feedback.
The pilot results should directly inform your district-wide rollout decisions. Take the system district-wide in weeks seven through 12. Drills should test real conditions, not sanitized versions of what might happen. Build a feedback loop into the process from day one so you adjust protocols based on what works rather than waiting for something to fail. For guidance on running effective drills, see why routine lockdown drills are important for schools.
Training & Readiness: Keeping Procedures Consistent
Training Cadence
New staff should complete orientation during onboarding. Everyone else needs annual refreshers. LockOut Co.’s safety training programs are tailored to each audience, from kindergarteners to administrators to law enforcement.
Quarterly Readiness Audits
Check equipment condition, protocol familiarity, and whether your documented procedures still match how the building actually runs, and do it four times a year. Fix what you find before the next drill, not in the middle of one.
Budgeting & Funding (TCO + Grants as a Support, Not a Strategy)
Total Cost of Ownership: What to Budget For
Installation is one line item. Then come the recurring ones: staff training, routine maintenance, component replacement, and technology updates. Treating the purchase as a one-time expense is how districts end up with underfunded systems that degrade over time.
Funding Sources
School safety grants can offset costs. The Department of Justice distributed $73 million in 2023 through its School Violence Prevention Program, making up to $500,000 available per district. That breakdown is covered in detail here: how schools can use violence prevention grants. Still, grants are not strategy. They supplement district budgets. Building a program that depends on external funding creates structural risk.
Get help scoping your budget and timeline.
Ninety days is the standard framework, running from initial assessment through full deployment. That said, actual timelines depend on how many facilities you are covering, how complex they are, and whether you can integrate existing infrastructure or need to start fresh.
Track drill outcomes, training completion dates, equipment inspection logs and protocol changes made after quarterly reviews. You need that documentation to evaluate whether the program is improving or just maintaining the status quo.
Work through hardware compatibility during the requirements phase, not after vendor selection. LockOut Co. products are engineered to work across a wide range of door configurations, frame conditions, and facility types.
Ready to Evaluate a Lockdown Solution for Your Facilities?
LockOut Co. provides free on-site evaluations to help districts assess current safety infrastructure and identify the right product combination for each building. From The Boot™ door barricade and The SmartBoot System® to Critical Incident Maps, advanced safety signage systems, and acrylic facility maps, every component is built for real-world use and first responder coordination.
Our process: facility assessment, tailored product recommendation, and phased rollout support.
