Keyless Locks for Classrooms

The most common approach to school security has centered around protecting the perimeter. But as our nation has seen time and again, the best security systems and intercoms at the entrances to the school, are easily thwarted by an armed gunman intent on getting in. Once in the building, the classrooms become prime targets for an active shooter.

Keyless locks are a solution for safeguarding classroom doors. These locks are gaining acceptance on a broad scale because of their ability to save time. In a school lockdown situation, it is sometimes seconds that can make the difference. Keyless classroom locks enable faster locking of a classroom door, delaying and possibly preventing a gunman from entering the room.

During a security breach, a gunman will typically go room to room, entering classrooms that are unlocked. Today’s classroom locks require the teacher to retreive the key (this can take a lot of time as anyone knows who’s tried to locate a key when you really need it), open the door, walk outside the room to the entrance side of the door, insert the key, turn it, remove the key, walk inside the room, and then shut the door. Each of these steps takes time, valuable time that could be used for barricading the door, escaping out a window, or other protective measures once the lock down has been announced.

Schools serious about instituting a security plan that is practical, will consider keyless locks for their student’s classrooms. New locks for classroom doors come in a range of configurations to keep these spaces safer during an emergency. Mechanical push button locks, to electronic multi-code, and programmed locks, to proximity technology, to lockdown solutions, are all viable options for securing these doors.

Any one of these is better than the lock and key arrangement. An entry level keyless pushbutton lock provides teachers the option of leaving the door open at select times, with the ability to quickly grab the lever and pull it shut to lock it. No keys are necessary, and anyone authorized to enter the room can do so with a convenient security code. Electronic locks provide the same capability as mechanical locks, and increase the level of security. These locks can be programmed so each user has their own code, card, or fob. They can be set on an access, and lock/unlock schedule, and provide tracking for auditing the door when an incident arises. A lockdown system, an advanced electronic lock, offers greater control and safety by letting teachers and students push a button, or rotate a turn-piece on the secure side of the door, denying access to all general PIN/card users.

We want our children to feel safe at school, without feeling imprisoned. Teachers must have the ability to quickly lock their classroom doors at the first sign something is wrong. Keyless locks are at the top of the list of smart, sensible choices school boards and administrators can invest in to achieve the right balance. You can’t put a price on a child’s life, yet schools don’t have unlimited funds either. Keyless classroom locks are affordable, do not require extensive or complex installation, as most retrofit the lock on the door now, and these locks eliminate the difficulties posed by keys in trying to secure the room when there is a shooter in the building.

Parents, teachers, and community leaders all want safer schools. The technology has caught up with the times to help all us fight back against the growing threats our children face at school. If you haven’t yet called on your school to investigate new locks for your child’s classrooms, take a few minutes this week to do so. Action always precedes change.

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