School Districts Door Locking System To Go Live

This story appeared in the Nutfield News and was written by Sean Joncas.
————––––—–––—————–

The long awaited door locking installation in the Derry Cooperative School District is nearing completion, with the electronic system expected to be operational March 19.

School District Financial Manager Jane Landry said at last week’s school board meeting that secretaries at all Derry schools have been trained on how to operate the systems.

“All swipe card systems are in,” said Landry. The installation process was extended after officials decided to add card swiping systems to back entrances at Gilbert H. Hood Middle School and Derry Village Elementary School. The additional installation and extended launch time tacked on $3,200 to project costs, but Landry said they were needed as a safety feature for teachers exiting and entering the building.

“If we did have a situation at one of the schools, we would have the ability to have a lock down,” said Landry. If cards were lost or stolen, the deactivation process would be handled by Landry.

“Everything will be handled out of one location,” said Landry. “We’ll be able to deactivate a lost card immediately.”

The school will handle the steady stream of visitors and service providers by requiring them to buzz into the office to be granted access. A locking system similar to those installed throughout the rest of the district is already in use at Barka Elementary School.