Plans Move Ahead for Making Schools’ Entryways More Secure

By Kim Siebert MacPhail

How to make the schools more secure—and how to pay for it—was of primary interest at the School Committee meeting on Tuesday night.

After the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT, the Bedford schools took immediate measures that included locking or monitoring their front doors, convening a Security Task Force to recommend longer term solutions, and assessing protocols for interaction with visitors.

[Read these articles for background on the response:

To take the next steps, the Superintendent of Schools, the School Committee, and Facilities Director Richard Jones have now determined how front entryways must be reconfigured and what technological hardware—like cameras, intercoms, and open-door alerts—should be installed.

“We talked about this last week. Now we have Richard [Jones] here [at the meeting] to help us with the numbers,” said School Committee Chair Anne Bickford, referring to estimates of how much each alteration will cost and where the money will come from.

Plans for each school were detailed:

Davis: A new window will be created in the office wall that abuts the main entrance corridor, creating a clear line of sight from the entryway to the office so that staff can see visitors before they are allowed in. Locking hardware will be added to the interior door and the intercom box will be relocated from the outside of the building to the intermediary area near the newly-created window. An access system controller will be installed to permit visitors to be “buzzed in” once they’ve been cleared for entry. Signage will be posted to instruct visitors how to be admitted to the building.

Cost estimates for this work equal $16, 460.

Lane: Lane does not need to install a window because the office already has good sightlines. However, additional door locks and a “buzz in” entry mechanism must be installed and a call box connected to the office is needed. Again, instructional signage will be posted to direct visitors.

The estimated cost for these changes is $8,750.

John Glenn: A window will be installed in the outside wall of the office. Reconfiguration of the office will position staff to see visitors as they approach the building and use the existing call box system to gain entry. Door-securing hardware is already installed and instructional signage is currently posted.

Total cost of this work is estimated to me $12,750.

Bedford High School: The entryway to Bedford High School by the student office is the one place where a security camera is necessary because of the distance between the office and the doors. There is already a call box and a swipe card access system. The door alert system that was part of the high school renovation project needs updating so that it can be connected to the office, as it has not been integrated with the new alert system being used by the town’s police and fire departments.

The estimate for this work is $7,200.

On the question of how to pay for the work— totaling $45,160— the School Committee voted at their last meeting to use remaining funds from several of the schools’ construction/renovation projects. Together, the leftover monies from these building funds reduce the total that remained to be found from $45,160 to $32,713.

Facilities Director Richard Jones led the School Committee through the status of completed school-related projects that fall within his department that have residual funds, as well as other projects he feels can be postponed.

Ultimately, the Committee unanimously voted a sum of up to $32,750, gathered from remaining balances from prior capital projects and capital maintenance articles to satisfy the need. The work, as detailed, will commence as soon as possible, in most cases over the upcoming school vacation weeks.

Superintendent Sills said that the Security Task Force will continue to meet to make additional recommendations, specifically in the area how of protocols and building practices should change.