According to a news report, Plum School District in Pennsylvania built a $157,000 20-by-18 foot security facility with features such as bullet-resistant glass and many large monitors that enable access to more than 360 video surveillance cameras throughout the district. From their phones, administrators can access the cameras and control all external doors. District officials hope and believe their security vestibule will become the new security standard in other schools.
Visitors can press a button outside to activate a network video door station, says the report. In addition, a security guard either checks the monitors or window to see the person and buzz them in to the first set of doors and sign-in area. A guest's ID is scanned through a visitor management system and compared to names in a national database of registered sex offenders. If cleared, the guest proceeds to a second door, which is secured through an electronic system that only allows one door to be open at one time.
“Sometimes they say the leading edge is the bleeding edge, but not in this case,” Superintendent Brendan Hyland said to the news report. “We’re leading, and I think you’re going to be very proud of the amount of effort, the amount of time, the resources and the technology that has been put into this.”