Safety & Security Upgrades

Classroom doors in older buildings could only be locked with a key from the outside. That meant the teacher had to open the door and exit the classroom to lock the door in an emergency situation. Classroom door locks in newer buildings had electronic capability that had not been activated. Bond funding has enabled the district to install electronic locks on classrooms that don't have them and purchase a system that activates and manages the locks. 

Phase 1--Spring & Summer 2018

• Add interior deadbolt locks to all classrooms with doors to the outside, as needed. (Completed Summer 2018)
  
  This included the following locations:
  • New Start High School
  • Big Picture Schools
  • Beverly Park Elementary
  • Hilltop Elementary
  • Southern Heights Elementary
  • Des Moines Elementary
     
• Begin competitive bid process to select a vendor to provide automatic door locks and electronic card readers at entrances of all schools, as well as video surveillance upgrades.

Phase 2--Completed Spring 2022

• Activate and integrate existing electronic card readers and automatic door locks on exterior entrances to the 15 schools that had card readers installed when built.
• Install automatic door locks and electronic card readers at entrance doors of all schools. (At least six per school.) Locking solutions may differ depending on the school configuration. For example, at Tyee High School with its smaller, round classroom buildings, safety was improved by outfitting more exterior entrances with electronic access pads rather than interior locking classroom doors.
• Update all interior classroom doors with electronic locks, which can be locked remotely by security or the school office.

Electronic locks were not installed at the old Highline High School and Des Moines Elementary, since these schools were replaced by new bond-funded construction.

This work plan is complete; however, change orders and additional work is ongoing to improve electronic door locks at various sites.

Updated Video Security Systems--Completion expected 2023

Upgrade existing video surveillance systems as needed from analog to digital and install video surveillance in buildings with none.