Security measures in Shelby schools to be upgraded over summer

With the start of the 2014-2015 school year, parents can expect changes in the way they reach their children during the school day.

In May, the Shelby County Schools Board of Education approved funding for a plan to reshape the front entrances of every school in the district over the summer. Tom Ferguson, SCS assistant superintendent of operations, said the project will improve safety by creating an additional barrier between visitors and school children.

“We’re looking at all front entrances of school buildings from the point of view of safety and security,” Ferguson said. “We want to make that space a little more confined and cause those who come to the schools to be identified or check in prior to them having access to the building as a whole.”

Ferguson said the security upgrades will create vestibules at school entrances by installing an additional door between visitors and the school. This area will be monitored by cameras, and the door will be controlled by a magnetic lock that can only be accessed by school personnel.

For most schools, Ferguson said, work conducted over the summer includes installing a new set of doors. He said most construction will be complete by the start of the year but said some work could continue into the first months of school.

Shelby County Schools launched the Safe Schools Initiative in early 2013 following the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. School leaders assembled a five-point plan to increase security that included safety reviews of school architecture.

“This plan is a different idea for the entrance to each school,” said Josh Britnell, assistant principal at Chelsea High School. “The main entrance will be very well defined so there’s no confusion on where to go and sign in. It will make things easier for outside visitors and safer for the students.”

Ferguson said the board of education unanimously approved a low bid of $751,990 from Williford Orman Construction of Pelham for construction.