public schools to start locking doorspublic schools to start locking doorspublic schools to start locking doors

James Jackson Chronicle staff until next September, all 104 primary schools on the board of directors of the Waterloo district school district will lock their front doors.
Following the start of a successful pilot program in public schools in Chalmers, Cambridge in January 13, the board will start promoting the program to schools in the region in the coming months.
Visitors and parents need to be admitted to the school at the main entrance through an integrated intercom, buzzer and camera system.
The front door and all the outer doors leading to the school will be locked.
The public Council already has several schools in the system that have cameras and lock doors, but they are mainly schools that don\'t see the front door in the main office.
Graham Shantz, assistant director of human resources services at WRDSB, said: \"consistency across the region is something we strive to pursue . \".
\"By September 1, we hope that all locations will operate properly.
\"This change occurred a few years ago after the board of directors of the Catholic district schools in Waterloo took action to lock the doors, not as a result of specific events or concerns.
When the public plank was ready to introduce locked doors, cameras and walkie-talkie at the front door of the primary school throughout the area, one parent said it was time.
Tom Schell, who has been president of the school council for nearly a decade at Winston Churchill public school, knows how vulnerable the school is.
Both his son and daughter attended Winston Churchill and Schell, who said the area is known for its crimes.
\"I\'m glad the plan has been completed, but it\'s too late,\" he said of plans to lock every school by next September.
\"I think it\'s expired,\" Schell still had the black binder he gave to the trustee about five years ago, when he was with Winston Churchill\'s other parents, he organized a delegation on school safety.
The binder is a multi-inch thought, including a list of more than a dozen events that happened in two blocks of the schoolyear span.
Houses collapsed at the school and armed robbery nearby, computer theft, students were flashed
The list is the worst nightmare for parents, but most importantly, a man who robbed a local pharmacy hid in the school boy\'s restroom before walking away.
Police later arrested the suspect.
\"We looked at this and thought, \'When will we lock the door? \'’” Schell said.
One of their suggestions was to start locking the door, but he said he never received a response from the board.
Following the successful pilot program started in January 13 at the Chalmers Public School in Cambridge, the program will be rolled out to the remaining 103 schools on the board by September.
\"This is a very successful implementation,\" said Graham Shantz, assistant director of HR services at WRDSB.
\"The community is very receptive to this new process, and they appreciate the strengthening of security measures to protect students and staff, and in all respects we all believe that the pilot is a success.
\"According to the new door lock policy known as\" safety welcome \", all outer doors of the school will be locked and can only be entered using special key cards.
Visitors will have to report to the main entrance and a school staff member will beep into the building using walkie-talkie and camera systems.
\"In most cases, most of our school\'s doors have been locked except for the front door,\" Shantz said . \".
\"The only new feature for most schools is that you will buzz.
\"The effort to lock the door dates back to December 2012 --
Prime Minister Dalton McGinty has announced that he will
Open the 2005 safety school program, work to lock the primary schools in the province and provide $10 million in funding.
The announcement came six days after a shooting incident in Newton city, Connecticut.
A gunman forcibly entered Sandy Hook Elementary School, killing 20 children and 6 adults.
The 2005 safety welcome program is designed to help schools in the main offices that do not see the front door, and 849 of the 4,000 primary schools in the province have received funding to install doorbell and cameras.
According to a Ministry of Education spokesman, 66 of the 72 boards in the province have participated in 2012 expansion of the safety welcome program, and some 3,100 primary schools in Ontario have received funding since 2005.
Secondary schools are not eligible for funding.
Participation in the safety welcome program is not mandatory, but schools must hold at least two lock-in exercises per year, with the participation of local police --
School board security agreement.
Schools that receive funding through a safe welcome must agree to lock the front door and other outer doors.
Shantz said WRDSB received about $318,000 from the province and $300,000 in its own funds.
The Catholic council began locking the doors in 2005.
John Shewchuk, Chief Management Officer of the Catholic Committee, said that when McGuinty announced the news on 2012, the committee had only 6 of the 45 schools left to upgrade.
The board completed the upgrade earlier this year.
Locking the door in school is a new reality, says Shewchuk, and this policy does not have a negative impact on students or employees.
The school is still a warm and friendly place in the community, logistical concerns-
Just like a student comes in from a laptop and uses a restroom --
By implementing the partner system and providing access cards to students, it has been easy to resolve.
\"You don\'t want your school to be like an armed camp, you want them to be welcomed and safe, so it\'s an extra level of security,\" Shewchuk said, \"one of the biggest threats to the safety of students is not an unknown intruder that some parents may be afraid.
\"Unfortunately, a big problem we face is that parents should not be exposed to children trying to go to school,\" Shewchuk said . \".
\"So it\'s helpful to see who\'s at the front door.
It\'s sad and unfortunate that these situations are much more than I think people actually realize.
\"The Waterloo Regional Police station works closely with the administrators and staff of schools in the area to ensure the safety of students, and it recognizes this policy.
\"Things have changed.
We certainly didn\'t lock the door when I was in elementary school, \"said Lee Fitzpatrick, WRPS?
Director of Community Services.
\"Unfortunately, this is consistent with the times.
By the James Jackson Chronicle staff by next September, all 104 elementary schools on the board of directors of the Waterloo district school district will lock their front doors.
Following the start of a successful pilot program in public schools in Chalmers, Cambridge in January 13, the board will start promoting the program to schools in the region in the coming months.
Visitors and parents need to be admitted to the school at the main entrance through an integrated intercom, buzzer and camera system.
The front door and all the outer doors leading to the school will be locked.
The public Council already has several schools in the system that have cameras and lock doors, but they are mainly schools that don\'t see the front door in the main office.
Graham Shantz, assistant director of human resources services at WRDSB, said: \"consistency across the region is something we strive to pursue . \".
\"By September 1, we hope that all locations will operate properly.
\"This change occurred a few years ago after the board of directors of the Catholic district schools in Waterloo took action to lock the doors, not as a result of specific events or concerns.
When the public plank was ready to introduce locked doors, cameras and walkie-talkie at the front door of the primary school throughout the area, one parent said it was time.
Tom Schell, who has been president of the school council for nearly a decade at Winston Churchill public school, knows how vulnerable the school is.
Both his son and daughter attended Winston Churchill and Schell, who said the area is known for its crimes.
\"I\'m glad the plan has been completed, but it\'s too late,\" he said of plans to lock every school by next September.
\"I think it\'s expired,\" Schell still had the black binder he gave to the trustee about five years ago, when he was with Winston Churchill\'s other parents, he organized a delegation on school safety.
The binder is a multi-inch thought, including a list of more than a dozen events that happened in two blocks of the schoolyear span.
Houses collapsed at the school and armed robbery nearby, computer theft, students were flashed
The list is the worst nightmare for parents, but most importantly, a man who robbed a local pharmacy hid in the school boy\'s restroom before walking away.
Police later arrested the suspect.
\"We looked at this and thought, \'When will we lock the door? \'’” Schell said.
One of their suggestions was to start locking the door, but he said he never received a response from the board.
Following the successful pilot program started in January 13 at the Chalmers Public School in Cambridge, the program will be rolled out to the remaining 103 schools on the board by September.
\"This is a very successful implementation,\" said Graham Shantz, assistant director of HR services at WRDSB.
\"The community is very receptive to this new process, and they appreciate the strengthening of security measures to protect students and staff, and in all respects we all believe that the pilot is a success.
\"According to the new door lock policy known as\" safety welcome \", all outer doors of the school will be locked and can only be entered using special key cards.
Visitors will have to report to the main entrance and a school staff member will beep into the building using walkie-talkie and camera systems.
\"In most cases, most of our school\'s doors have been locked except for the front door,\" Shantz said . \".
\"The only new feature for most schools is that you will buzz.
\"The effort to lock the door dates back to December 2012 --
Prime Minister Dalton McGinty has announced that he will
Open the 2005 safety school program, work to lock the primary schools in the province and provide $10 million in funding.
The announcement came six days after a shooting incident in Newton city, Connecticut.
A gunman forcibly entered Sandy Hook Elementary School, killing 20 children and 6 adults.
The 2005 safety welcome program is designed to help schools in the main offices that do not see the front door, and 849 of the 4,000 primary schools in the province have received funding to install doorbell and cameras.
According to a Ministry of Education spokesman, 66 of the 72 boards in the province have participated in 2012 expansion of the safety welcome program, and some 3,100 primary schools in Ontario have received funding since 2005.
Secondary schools are not eligible for funding.
Participation in the safety welcome program is not mandatory, but schools must hold at least two lock-in exercises per year, with the participation of local police --
School board security agreement.
Schools that receive funding through a safe welcome must agree to lock the front door and other outer doors.
Shantz said WRDSB received about $318,000 from the province and $300,000 in its own funds.
The Catholic council began locking the doors in 2005.
John Shewchuk, Chief Management Officer of the Catholic Committee, said that when McGuinty announced the news on 2012, the committee had only 6 of the 45 schools left to upgrade.
The board completed the upgrade earlier this year.
Locking the door in school is a new reality, says Shewchuk, and this policy does not have a negative impact on students or employees.
The school is still a warm and friendly place in the community, logistical concerns-
Just like a student comes in from a laptop and uses a restroom --
By implementing the partner system and providing access cards to students, it has been easy to resolve.
\"You don\'t want your school to be like an armed camp, you want them to be welcomed and safe, so it\'s an extra level of security,\" Shewchuk said, \"one of the biggest threats to the safety of students is not an unknown intruder that some parents may be afraid.
\"Unfortunately, a big problem we face is that parents should not be exposed to children trying to go to school,\" Shewchuk said . \".
\"So it\'s helpful to see who\'s at the front door.
It\'s sad and unfortunate that these situations are much more than I think people actually realize.
\"The Waterloo Regional Police station works closely with the administrators and staff of schools in the area to ensure the safety of students, and it recognizes this policy.
\"Things have changed.
We certainly didn\'t lock the door when I was in elementary school, \"said Lee Fitzpatrick, WRPS?
Director of Community Services.
\"Unfortunately, this is consistent with the times.
By the James Jackson Chronicle staff by next September, all 104 elementary schools on the board of directors of the Waterloo district school district will lock their front doors.
Following the start of a successful pilot program in public schools in Chalmers, Cambridge in January 13, the board will start promoting the program to schools in the region in the coming months.
Visitors and parents need to be admitted to the school at the main entrance through an integrated intercom, buzzer and camera system.
The front door and all the outer doors leading to the school will be locked.
The public Council already has several schools in the system that have cameras and lock doors, but they are mainly schools that don\'t see the front door in the main office.
Graham Shantz, assistant director of human resources services at WRDSB, said: \"consistency across the region is something we strive to pursue . \".
\"By September 1, we hope that all locations will operate properly.
\"This change occurred a few years ago after the board of directors of the Catholic district schools in Waterloo took action to lock the doors, not as a result of specific events or concerns.
When the public plank was ready to introduce locked doors, cameras and walkie-talkie at the front door of the primary school throughout the area, one parent said it was time.
Tom Schell, who has been president of the school council for nearly a decade at Winston Churchill public school, knows how vulnerable the school is.
Both his son and daughter attended Winston Churchill and Schell, who said the area is known for its crimes.
\"I\'m glad the plan has been completed, but it\'s too late,\" he said of plans to lock every school by next September.
\"I think it\'s expired,\" Schell still had the black binder he gave to the trustee about five years ago, when he was with Winston Churchill\'s other parents, he organized a delegation on school safety.
The binder is a multi-inch thought, including a list of more than a dozen events that happened in two blocks of the schoolyear span.
Houses collapsed at the school and armed robbery nearby, computer theft, students were flashed
The list is the worst nightmare for parents, but most importantly, a man who robbed a local pharmacy hid in the school boy\'s restroom before walking away.
Police later arrested the suspect.
\"We looked at this and thought, \'When will we lock the door? \'’” Schell said.
One of their suggestions was to start locking the door, but he said he never received a response from the board.
Following the successful pilot program started in January 13 at the Chalmers Public School in Cambridge, the program will be rolled out to the remaining 103 schools on the board by September.
\"This is a very successful implementation,\" said Graham Shantz, assistant director of HR services at WRDSB.
\"The community is very receptive to this new process, and they appreciate the strengthening of security measures to protect students and staff, and in all respects we all believe that the pilot is a success.
\"According to the new door lock policy known as\" safety welcome \", all outer doors of the school will be locked and can only be entered using special key cards.
Visitors will have to report to the main entrance and a school staff member will beep into the building using walkie-talkie and camera systems.
\"In most cases, most of our school\'s doors have been locked except for the front door,\" Shantz said . \".
\"The only new feature for most schools is that you will buzz.
\"The effort to lock the door dates back to December 2012 --
Prime Minister Dalton McGinty has announced that he will
Open the 2005 safety school program, work to lock the primary schools in the province and provide $10 million in funding.
The announcement came six days after a shooting incident in Newton city, Connecticut.
A gunman forcibly entered Sandy Hook Elementary School, killing 20 children and 6 adults.
The 2005 safety welcome program is designed to help schools in the main offices that do not see the front door, and 849 of the 4,000 primary schools in the province have received funding to install doorbell and cameras.
According to a Ministry of Education spokesman, 66 of the 72 boards in the province have participated in 2012 expansion of the safety welcome program, and some 3,100 primary schools in Ontario have received funding since 2005.
Secondary schools are not eligible for funding.
Participation in the safety welcome program is not mandatory, but schools must hold at least two lock-in exercises per year, with the participation of local police --
School board security agreement.
Schools that receive funding through a safe welcome must agree to lock the front door and other outer doors.
Shantz said WRDSB received about $318,000 from the province and $300,000 in its own funds.
The Catholic council began locking the doors in 2005.
John Shewchuk, Chief Management Officer of the Catholic Committee, said that when McGuinty announced the news on 2012, the committee had only 6 of the 45 schools left to upgrade.
The board completed the upgrade earlier this year.
Locking the door in school is a new reality, says Shewchuk, and this policy does not have a negative impact on students or employees.
The school is still a warm and friendly place in the community, logistical concerns-
Just like a student comes in from a laptop and uses a restroom --
By implementing the partner system and providing access cards to students, it has been easy to resolve.
\"You don\'t want your school to be like an armed camp, you want them to be welcomed and safe, so it\'s an extra level of security,\" Shewchuk said, \"one of the biggest threats to the safety of students is not an unknown intruder that some parents may be afraid.
\"Unfortunately, a big problem we face is that parents should not be exposed to children trying to go to school,\" Shewchuk said . \".
\"So it\'s helpful to see who\'s at the front door.
It\'s sad and unfortunate that these situations are much more than I think people actually realize.
\"The Waterloo Regional Police station works closely with the administrators and staff of schools in the area to ensure the safety of students, and it recognizes this policy.
\"Things have changed.
We certainly didn\'t lock the door when I was in elementary school, \"said Lee Fitzpatrick, WRPS?
Director of Community Services.
\"Unfortunately, this is consistent with the times.