Keeping Students' Possessions Secure

“In recent years, the dollar value of items that students are bringing to school has gone up,” says Kevin McCarthy, commercial product manager for Oak Creek, Wis.-based Master Lock. “In addition to their books, musical instruments and cell phones, they’re bringing tablets and lap tops which, if stolen, are expensive to replace.”

To that end, parents and students need confidence that the items brought to school are appropriately secured in students’ lockers. Well-built locks offer that assurance. “Providing locks and ensuring that they are in good repair,” says McCarthy, “is a community effort within the school district. It includes upper-level administrators, principals, vice principals and teachers. Everyone must be on the same page as to the security level they’re offering students.”

Locker locks may be physically small but, in terms of the security they offer, they’re large. “Locks are an important school feature that are sometimes overlooked because they’re a lower-value item,” McCarthy says. “But they are not to be overlooked because they keep high-value items safe. It’s not a good thing for a student to have to go home and report that his or her $1,500 lap top was stolen.”

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • St. Lucie County, Fla., Breaks Ground on New K–8 School

    St. Lucie Public Schools in St. Lucie County, Fla., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new K–8 school, according to a news release. The district partnered with Spiezle Architectural Group, Inc., for the design of the upcoming Ft. Pierce K–8 School, which comprises six buildings covering 215,000 square feet.

  • Wyoming District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    Laramie County School District #1 in Cheyenne, Wy., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the upcoming Mountain View Elementary School, according to a news release. The facility has an estimated completion date of summer 2028, and it will have the capacity for 650 students in fifth and sixth grade.

  • Designing the Bridge Between Inclusivity and Independence in K–12 Schools

    Fostering independence is fundamental to learning and development for K–12 students. It offers many proven benefits, such as enhanced confidence, problem-solving, decision-making, and social skills. However, this foundational objective loses its impact if it’s not accessible and adaptable to all students. Inclusivity plays a critical role in cultivating independence and healthy autonomy for students, fostering positive student learning outcomes by uniting pedagogy with the physical learning environment.

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey

    Spaces4Learning recently launched the 2026 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey, which collects data on the previous year’s K–12 and higher education construction projects nationwide.