Faculty also required to carry photo identification cards
By: Michael Arges
Students at Hightstown High School will need to add another card to their purses or billfolds because of the East Windsor Regional School Board’s new general security plans, approved July 24.
The board voted to require all students at Hightstown High to carry picture identification cards while at school.
"Most students have them, but it’s never been something enforced or required," said David Shafter, the board secretary and district business administrator.
The board also voted to require all of the board’s staff members to carry picture identification cards while on school board premises. This policy will extend what individual schools already require.
"Two schools have staff ID cards, the Rogers School and the McKnight School," Mr. Shafter said in an interview after the meeting.
Mr. Schafter also reported that the district has advertised for bids for an updated alarm system.
"We have on in place already, but this is a better one, and it will be self-checking to make sure that everything’s functioning."
Another security change will enable doors at the schools to be locked during school hours, without locking out classes or teachers. For example, key locks will be installed on the breezeway doors at the Drew School so that teachers will have access to the building during recess without propping doors open. As things are now, when the doors are propped open, "there’s a potential that someone might go in there and not be noticed," Mr. Schafter said.
A combination buzzer system and lock has been installed at the Drew School main entrance, so that office staff can see who it is before letting them in. A similar system will be installed at the main entrance of the Rogers School and the breezeway entrance to the Drew School. These may be buzzer systems or they may involve video cameras, monitors and door-opening signals.