BREWSTER – The need for updated security measures in schools has become increasingly prevalent with incidents of gun violence and unauthorized intruders in school buildings rising across the country.
The Brewster School District has replaced locks on every classroom and workspace throughout the system’s four school buildings thanks to a $100,000 State Senate grant obtained by Peter Harckham—funding made through the Senate’s Community Resiliency, Economic Sustainability, and Technology program.
Harckham said, “the safety of all our students is of the utmost importance and that’s why this investment is essential. Old and inefficient locks do not help anyone. Students cannot progress academically with their best foot forward if they do not feel safe, and this is the kind of preemptive investment that ensures a secure environment for students and staff.”
The schools’ previous lock and key method was cumbersome and could result in inconsistent response times from building to building and classroom to classroom should an emergency occur. The new quick-action locks can be bolted significantly faster and will drastically improve the response time of faculty executing a lockdown procedure in the event of an emergency.
Michele Gosh, Brewster’s incoming superintendent of Schools, said the funding has allowed the district “to take yet another step forward in the name of student safety. The re-keying of our high school allows for crucial time-saving measures for first responders, staff, and students in emergency situations. It also allows for more efficiency in non-emergency settings.”
