Las Vegas School Boosts Security to Protect Students

“Kids were actually telling me that they didn’t feel safe at school,” said John Anzalone, principal of Sierra Vista High School. “That’s actually heartbreaking for an educator.”

• By Jessica Davis
• November 16, 2018

In response to security issues and students asking for a change, Sierra Vista High School in Las Vegas has installed a doorbell monitoring system.

“Kids were actually telling me that they didn’t feel safe at school,” said John Anzalone, principal of Sierra Vista High School. “That’s actually heartbreaking for an educator.”

Anzalone and other members of the faculty decided to add a doorbell monitoring system. When visitors arrive on campus, signs will direct them to a doorbell.

“A lot of people kind of told me I was crazy,” Anzalone said. “Because it’s such a big place and so many people are coming in and out.”

Inside of the doorbell, there is a camera that connects to three different receivers, which are monitored by office staff and campus security. When a visitor rings the doorbell, they’re visible on the doorbell’s camera and a camera outside the gate above the doorbell.

The camera above the doorbell is “to kind of see if they’re maybe carrying any large bags, things like that,” Anzalone said. The cameras also help staff see whether visitors follow proper protocol and go straight to the office once buzzed inside. If they don’t go to the office to sign in, another camera inside the gate sees where the visitor is headed.

“Then we go and alert campus security to go and stop them,” Anzalone said.

Once the visitor goes to the office, they sign in and scan their ID to receive a printed badge. The scanner “automatically ‘red flags’ anyone who is in the national sexual predator database, so that’s another layer of security,” Anzalone said.

The new doorbell system cost just under $15,000 to install and included automatic door shutters. Some of the funding came from the school’s money for supplies, a choice that was voted on.

“Unless our kids feel safe and secure,” Anzalone said, “buying textbooks and pens and paper isn’t going to matter.”