A Huntington Beach alternative high school is reportedly the first in the nation to install a high security, bullet-resistant door-and-lock system in an effort to protect students from the threat of a school shooting such as those that have victimized students around the country in recent years.
Alternative school Valley Vista High serves area teens and includes an in-house daycare for students with children, increasing the community’s desire for better security. Safer Schools for America created the doors.
The new system is comprised of two dozen doors with two-way locks that allow a teacher inside a classroom to lock the door from up to 75 feet away KPCC reports. Once locked, the door prevents someone from forcing entry into a room, but still allows those inside the room to open the door from within and let in anyone that has been stranded in the hall.
At a cost of $25,000, the doors boast a thick layer of bullet-resistant film that KPCC notes doubles as a white-erase board. Valley Vista’s system should be installed within two months.
With such a significant price tag, a business donor stepped in to cover the cost. According to KPCC, donor ROK Mobile’s founder Jonathan Kendrick plans to donate security systems to three additional schools as well. ROK Mobile and Safer Schools for America have teamed up to create a fundraising program that will help school Parent-Teacher Associations raise the funds to have their own schools equipped with similar systems.
Photo: Sandy Hook (file)
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