South Carolina District Installs Panic Buttons to Lock Doors

South Carolina District Installs Panic Buttons to Lock Doors

Director of Safety Bryan Vaughn said that safety department administrators can secure doors in the whole district, even if they’re not currently on that campus. Vaughn said that the panic button system can unlock doors as quickly as it can lock them.

  • By Jessica Davis
  • March 04, 2019

The Lancaster County School District is implementing a new security system that includes panic buttons that allow administrators to lock or unlock doors.

According to WBTV, the panic buttons let school administrators lock or unlock all exterior doors of a campus building by clicking a button.

Director of Safety Bryan Vaughn said that safety department administrators can secure doors in the whole district, even if they’re not currently on that campus. Vaughn said that the panic button system can unlock doors as quickly as it can lock them.

“If law enforcement was outside and didn’t have access because the building was locked, we have the ability to open those doors up,” Vaughn said.

Vaughn said the panic buttons will be especially effective on large campuses that have detached wings.

“For example, for a large high school where you have vocational school or some wings outside … you may have 5, 6 or 7 doors may be left open periodically throughout the day,” Vaughn said.

The panic button system lets doors be locked immediately in case of an emergency or threat. Previously, doors would have to be manually locked one at a time.

“It’s something we’ve been wanting to do but couldn’t because of the funding aspect. But because of the bond referendum and the voters passing that, we were finally able to,” Vaughn said.

According to Vaughn, the district’s security upgrades cost several million dollars. The upgrades include the panic buttons, new doors and key cards for staff members. The new program monitors who enters the building, what time and through what entrance.

School officials expect that all schools in the district will be equipped with the panic button by summer.

About the Author

Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.

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