How Delaware schools can request a no-cost physical safety assessment
The Delaware School Safety Center offers physical safety assessments to schools statewide at no cost. Here is how to ask, who should prepare what, and how its findings relate to any later glazing work.
By Shore Tint & More editorial team · · 8 min read
Key takeaways
- The program is run by the Delaware School Safety Center (DSSC) within the Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA), not by a window-film company.
- DSSC describes a campus walkthrough, review of procedures, staff consultation and a written report, free of charge for Delaware schools.
- Request through the official program page or the published contact; this site does not collect or forward requests.
- An official safety assessment is broad. A contractor glazing survey serves a narrower purpose and can inform findings or project objectives that involve glass.
- Keep findings and opening details in restricted internal documents, never on public pages.
What the official program offers
The School Safety Physical Assessment Program page of the Delaware School Safety Center, part of DEMA, says DSSC offers no-cost physical safety assessments for all schools across the state. As published there (checked November 4, 2026), the process includes:
- a walkthrough of the campus, inside and outside;
- review of arrival and dismissal, visitor management and access control;
- interviews or consultations with key school personnel; and
- a written report with observations, strengths and recommendations.
DSSC says its assessors use a standardized framework grounded in Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (natural surveillance, access control, territorial reinforcement and maintenance). See the program page for current details.
How to request it
Go to the official program page. It includes an information request form, which the page says can be used to request an assessment or learn more. The DSSC home page also publishes this contact for requests:
| Purpose | Published contact | Where it is published |
|---|---|---|
| Request a physical safety assessment | dema.cssp@delaware.gov | DSSC home page |
| General DSSC information | dssc@delaware.gov | DSSC home page |
Contacts change; confirm on the official page before writing. DSSC does not publish a turnaround time on these pages, so we do not suggest one. Designate the school's contact and confirm participation and the request procedure with DSSC. Security Film Guide does not receive or forward these requests.
Preparation checklist by role
A planning aid, not a DSSC requirement: it helps the visit use staff time well and makes the written report easier to act on.
| Role | What to prepare | Decision that follows |
|---|---|---|
| School leadership | Name a single point of contact; agree who receives the report and how it is stored | Who decides priorities after the report arrives |
| Facilities | Current floor plans, door and key schedules, recent repairs, known maintenance backlog | Which recommendations are maintenance versus capital work |
| Safety lead | Current emergency plans, drill records, visitor and dismissal procedures as practiced | Which findings are procedural and can change without purchases |
| Business office | Current purchasing thresholds, quote and bid rules, budget calendar | Which items need quotes, formal bids or board approval |
| Relevant professionals | Contacts for fire marshal, architect or engineer of record, IT/access-control vendor | Which items need professional review before any scope is written |
Glass came up in your findings?
Shore can survey the openings involved so you can scope a phase through your own approval process.
Request an assessment →Official assessment versus a glazing survey
These are different tools. The DSSC assessment looks at the whole environment and daily operations. A commercial glazing survey, such as the one Shore describes in its school security glazing survey guide, records glass, frames and product options opening by opening. It is a contractor's survey, not the DSSC program and not a substitute for it, but it can inform findings or project objectives that involve glass.
| Question | DSSC physical safety assessment | Commercial glazing survey |
|---|---|---|
| Who performs it | DSSC school safety assessors | A window-film contractor |
| Scope | Campus, access control, procedures, staff input | Glass type, frames, sizes, attachment options |
| Output | Written report with observations and recommendations | Opening schedule and priced options |
| Cost | No cost to Delaware schools, per DSSC | Set by the contractor |
| Typical use | Campus-wide observations and recommendations | Glass-specific detail for objectives that involve glazing |
Where glazing is part of the objectives, the school glazing planning guide covers phasing, and the bid scope template helps write a comparable request.
Useful questions to ask
- Who will attend from the school, and how long should staff set aside?
- In what form is the written report delivered, and who should hold it?
- Can the report distinguish procedure changes from items that need purchases?
- Is there a follow-up conversation after the report, and how is it arranged?
- If recommendations involve doors or glass, which officials should review them before work?
Organizing follow-up privately
A safety report describes weaknesses. Have the responsible school, purchasing and security officials decide how it is handled and disclosed, consistent with the district's procurement and records obligations. Separate detailed technical findings from general summaries through that approved process, and don't post opening maps or detailed vulnerabilities in public web forms.
A simple private tracker works: finding reference (not description), category (procedure, maintenance, capital), owner, next decision and date reviewed. For glass-related items, the project brief tool builds an opening checklist in your browser without sending anything to this site.
Frequently asked questions
Does the assessment cost the school anything?
DSSC states that assessments are conducted free of charge for Delaware schools.
Will the report tell us to buy window film?
Not necessarily. Its recommendations may be procedural or about other parts of the building. Film is relevant where findings or objectives involve glass.
Does a report make a school compliant or eligible for funding?
Neither page cited here says so. Ask the agency that administers any rule or program.
Who should make the request?
The school should designate its contact and confirm participation and the request procedure with DSSC through the official page or published contact.
Sources
- Delaware School Safety Center (DEMA): School Safety Physical Assessment Program
- Delaware School Safety Center (DEMA) home page
- Shore Tint & More: school security glazing survey guide
- Shore Tint & More: Sussex Academy project
These guides began as AI-assisted drafts from the Shore Tint & More editorial team. Our guides explain product documentation and practical project planning. Manufacturer test claims are linked, and site-specific recommendations require an assessment. Spotted an error? Contact us for corrections.