Algood Middle School will receive a comprehensive security upgrade to its classroom doors using funds from a safety and security grant, following approval from the Putnam County Education Board.
Construction and Facilities Supervisor John Magura said the project involves replacing the locks on the interior doors of the middle school. Magura said, currently, interior doors can not be locked from the inside. Magura said the new lock sets would change how faculty and staff respond during an emergency situation.
“I would think that that would be a big advantage because should there be a lockdown of the building, the occupants of the classroom can readily lock that door, which makes it safer for everybody in the classroom,” Magura said.
Magura said the current configuration at the middle school requires a person to step into the hallway and use a key to lock the door. John Magura said the new hardware features a thumb lock that can be engaged instantly from within the classroom.
“The school system has a safety and security grant and the safety committee and our (School Resource Officers) have discussed what we could implicate in the system to make our buildings safer, and that was one of their recommendations,” Magura said. “So we decided to use this money to make Algood Middle School as safe as possible.”
Magura said the maintenance department will handle the installation by removing the old sets and inserting the new hardware. John Magura said the project focuses specifically on interior doors leading from classrooms to the hallways.
“The safety committee meets and discusses all avenues to try to make our buildings as safe as possible and as funds are available, we will implement the prioritized list,” John Magura said.
John Magura said the school system has previously used portions of its operating budget for similar work, but those funds are currently limited. John Magura said Algood Middle School was selected for this phase because the available grant money was sufficient to cover the entire facility.
“And as we get additional funds available, we’ll continue to do that throughout the system,” John Magura said.
John Magura said the installation of the new locks is expected to be finished during the summer break.