The unfortunate events in Uvalde, Texas in the spring of 2022 have left parents, administrators and lawmakers across the country with a renewed sense of concern for classroom safety. Collectively, we have all come to understand that the best defense in the event of a threat at school can be a good offense.
Acting proactively to ensure the safety of our teachers and students is certainly the best course of action – but there is a fine line between keeping teachers and students safe and turning schools into maximum security lockdown centers. The line can be hard to find. While our priority has always been fostering a healthy and happy environment for our children, conducive to learning, we have to find ways to protect them from harm’s way.
Should School Doors be Locked?
Yes - school doors should be locked! According to a study conducted by the Sandy Hook Advisory Commission, doors that lock from the inside are the best protection against school shootings. In their 2015 report, the Commission wrote that the “testimony and other evidence presented to the commission reveals that there has never been an event in which an active shooter breached a locked classroom door.”
Doors that lock from the inside are critical from a safety perspective: during past school shootings, teachers have been injured and killed while attempting to lock classroom doors from the outside.
Can Teachers Lock School Doors?
With an internal lock such as the TEACHERLOCK™ and TEACHERLOCK II™, teachers can lock their school doors. What's more, they never have to exit the classroom to lock their doors in the event of a security threat. Only individuals who are authorized can lock the door from the inside, and the door can only be unlocked from the outside using a special key. The special key can be supplied to other teachers, security personnel, or administrators.
Improving Emergency Classroom Door Security:
The TEACHERLOCK and TEACHERLOOCK II deploy a durable bolting mechanism within seconds in the event of an emergency. While being incredibly effective, they also remain relatively discreet – helping keep the environment of the classroom a happy one.
You can add another layer of security to your classroom doors with the Hideaway Helper. This blackout lockdown shade is an effective and simple way to cover the windows built into many classroom doors in the event of an emergency. These window shades are customizable to fit any size door window. They're also easy to install and more importantly, to deploy.
Revamp Your School’s Safety Program with the Help of School Safety Solution:
At School Safety Solution, our priority is making sure that school campuses across the country are as safe as they can be. We believe that this goal can be achieved while keeping schools as places where our nation’s children can grow, learn, and make friends. Our solutions keep children and educators safe by providing reliable, high-quality, and life-saving equipment that protects children instead of scaring them.
We understand that a minute can change everything; that’s why our safety solutions are reliable and easy to use in the event of a disaster. You’ll never regret having safety protocols in place. If you would like to review your school’s safety and security equipment, the tools available to your school’s staff, or any other security consideration, we would love to assist you. You can call our team of safety experts any time at 888.733.0406 or send us an email at info@schoolsafetysolution.com for more information.
*Interpretation of building and fire code varies widely and is subject to the Authority Having Jurisdiction.