Indiana Campus Security Starts at the Door
For Anderson Community Schools in Anderson, Indiana, campus security begins at the door, as the district’s campus safety plan focuses on access control.
- By Jessica Davis
- October 08, 2018
For Anderson Community Schools in Anderson, Indiana, campus security begins at the door, as the district’s campus safety plan focuses on access control.
In order to enter Highland Middle School, for example, visitors must be buzzed in and check in with staff to be let through the double set of doors into the academic wing. In addition, classroom doors lock upon closing, designed to keep out bad actors.
“On a normal day, we’ve got 1,500 kids in this building who walk freely, go to class freely, and we have no problems," Anderson Community Schools Superintendent Dr. Tim Smith said. "If there's someone who shouldn't be in this building, roaming the halls we need to make sure that in that 15- to 30-second range, we can secure the class, get the kids out of sight and make sure that they're not in harm’s way,"
Smith described multiple security measures in place at every district school, including crisis training for faculty.
“So our goal is to make sure our staff is prepared to respond and react appropriately to keep themselves and our kids safe if something were to ever happen," Smith said.
Other aspects of the district’s school safety plan include school resource officers in place at the middle and high schools and metal-detecting wands. Smith said there are also security measures that are less visible.
“Every day we have to be on our top priority alertness for our kids and our staff," Smith said.
About the Author
Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.