Bill Would Add Locks Inside New York Schools
The proposed bill focuses on the addition of locks to the inside and outside of every door in every campus building throughout the state.
- By Jessica Davis
- November 01, 2018
A new bill proposal in New York state would require campuses to have locks on every classroom door as a school security measure. The bill was recently introduced in the New York State Assembly.
The proposed bill focuses on the addition of locks to the inside and outside of every door in every campus building throughout the state. Many law enforcement officials and parents seem to be in favor of the additional security measure.
"Little steps like that, like the ability to lock those doors as quickly as possible to put those delay mechanisms in between themselves and the shooter is really what we're looking for," said Chief Deputy Michael Fowler of the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.
Gates Chili Central School District Superintendent Kimberle Ward is in favor of the newly proposed legislation to increase school security, calling it “absolutely a good thing,” but isn’t sure how the campuses would implement the changes.
"We would have some work to do around that in terms of making sure that all of our doors have lock systems that are able to be locked from the inside and outside," Ward said. "My concern is how are we going to pay for it? We've looked at replacing those lock systems on our doors and it could be hundreds of thousands of dollars."
The bill was introduced in the New York State Assembly two weeks ago. It’s unknown whether the legislature will take it up when it resumes in January.
About the Author
Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.