Better Classroom Security for Safer Schools

CLassroom Security

Olathe Public School District made their schools safer and more secure by replacing multiple brands of locks on classroom doors with Schlage locks and the Everest 29 key system.

The Olathe Public School District in Kansas is improving classroom security and simplifying key control by replacing multiple brands of locks on classrooms doors with Schlage locks and the patent-protected Everest 29™ key system.

With 40+ schools, the school district was using key systems from three different manufacturers, making key control difficult.

Challenges included:

  • Limited support and expansion: manufacturers no longer supported some systems, while others had reached their capacity.
  • Overexposure: Some of the key systems had been in place so long that it was difficult or impossible to know who had keys.
  • Maintenance: Upkeep was also troublesome with so many key systems to maintain.

The district wanted to implement door hardware products and a consistent key system across the district that allowed for increased control and more effective maintenance.

The school district chose Schlage mortise and cylindrical lock products and a patent-protected Everest 29 key system because of its many benefits, including:

  • Patent protection: The key system provides patent protection against unauthorized duplication through 2029, so the district will be able to maintain effective key control with confidence.
  • Ease of rekeying: All locks are Schlage with full-size interchangeable cores, which simplify rekeying.
  • Classroom security functionality: The Schlage L-Series mortise locks and ND-Series cylindrical locks used include a classroom function that allows teachers to lock the door from within the classroom during an incident.

Most of the locks being upgraded are on classroom doors, the district also is replacing locks on other openings.

www.allegion.com

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 Education Design Showcase Awards

    Spaces4Learning has opened submissions for the 2026 Education Design Showcase! The awards program launched in 1999 with the goal of celebrating innovative, practical solutions in the planning, design, and construction of K–12 and higher-education facilities. EDS recognizes new developments that help achieve optimal learning environments, as well as the architecture firms that brought the ideas to life.

  • NWEA Report Recommends K–12 Natural Disaster Recovery Strategies

    The Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), a K–12 assessment and research organization, recently announced the release of a new playbook for schools and communities recovering from extreme weather events, according to a news release.

  • concentric silhouettes of a human head

    How Physical Space Shapes the Mind: Designing for Better Learning Outcomes

    Research in environmental psychology and neuroscience increasingly suggests that the way a room is designed can influence memory, focus, or even a student's sense of belonging.

  • California K–12 District Completes Elementary School Campus Replacement

    The West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) in Richmond, Calif., recently announced the completion of a replacement campus for Lake Elementary School, according to a news release. The school has capacity for 470 students between Transitional Kindergarten (TK) and sixth grade.