How Can We Protect School Entries?

The best way to protect a campus entry is simple—lock the doors. And keep them locked. Locked doors are a very effective barrier to criminals, from burglars to active shooters.

Open a student entry 30 minutes before classes begin. Then lock the door. Keep it locked until students leave at the end of the school day. Designate one door for faculty and staff but add a basic access control system with a keypad or card reader so the entry stays locked.

Also, don’t overlook the doors themselves. They should be made of solid core wood. There’s no need for expensive anti-ballistic metal doors. But if you have glass doors fortify them with security film or metal screening. Both will help delay even an armed criminal until first responders can arrive.

Quality doors and locks are critical to keeping bad people out. But you probably have many parents, volunteers and other visitors who have a good reason to come in. Video intercoms are made for this. Mount a door station outside the single designated visitor entry. Visitors push a button to buzz a master station, typically on the desk of the receptionist and/or school resource officer. They make decisions when to open the door only after seeing and talking with visitors.

Video intercoms also help control a practice known as piggybacking, where other people sneak in with those already approved. Intercom cameras also let staff see people loitering around the entry. Another video intercom mounted at the delivery door provides a quick entry method for food service and other vendors

Here’s one more important security tip. Equip all classroom doors with locks that can be locked from the inside. No student behind a locked classroom door has been shot during all U.S. active shooter incidents.

This article originally appeared in the School Planning & Management March 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

About the Author

Bruce Czerwinski serves as U.S. general sales manager for Aiphone Corp. He is a 13-year veteran of the company, a manufacturer or security video intercoms. For more information, visit the website at www.aiphone.com/home.

Featured

  • Greenheck Launches Optics Sensors for Kitchen Hoods

    Greenheck recently announced the launch of factory-installed optics sensors as an enhanced option for its kitchen ventilation hoods, according to a news release.

  • Beeville ISD Starts Construction on New Elementary School

    The Beeville Independent School District near Corpus Christi, Texas, recently began a construction project that will consolidate two existing, aging schools into a new elementary school, according to a news release. The district is partnering with Pfluger Architects and Spawglass General Contractors for the design and construction, respectively, of the new facility.

  • University of West Florida Opens New Laboratory Facility

    The University of West Florida recently announced that renovation work is complete on a new lab building for its campus in Pensacola, Fla., according to university news. Building 80 will serve as the home to the university’s civil engineering program and the Tyler Chase Norwood Construction Management Program.

  • MiraCosta College Completes $42.5M Chemistry, Biotechnology Building

    MiraCosta College in Oceanside, Calif., recently finished construction on a new, $42.5-million Chemistry and Biotechnology Building, according to a news release. The university partnered with builder C.W. Driver Companies and HED Architects on the 20,630-square-foot facility, which will serve the school’s expanding STEM programs.

Digital Edition