A kiosk at main entrance of Upper Middle School is first element expected to be implemented
By Katie Wagner, Staff Writer
MONTGOMERY — The Montgomery Upper Middle School may be receiving several security upgrades this school year thanks to the efforts of two recently formed committees.
So far, the health and safety committee and the collaborative committee have ordered a kiosk for the school’s main entrance and requested a swipe card system, buzzer system and new public address system be installed in the school.
The health and safety committee is composed of the school’s principal Bill Robbins and vice principal Sharon Biggs, Board of Education Vice President Charles Jacey Jr., the president and a vice president of the Montgomery Township Education Association, other teachers and custodians. The collaborative or oversight committee is composed of the principal and vice principal, Board of Education member Saul Rubinstein, Superintendent Samuel Stewart, Business Administrator Tom Venanzi and president and a vice president of the Montgomery Township Education Association.
”These (the two committees) have not been formed because of a problem. They were formed to be proactive,” Mr. Robbins said. “With all the things going on in the world, we just thought it would be a good thing” to take these extra security measures.
According to Mr. Robbins, the kiosk, which will be a tall greeter desk placed directly behind the school’s main door, should be installed by the end of this month.
”We really wanted to make the building more friendly,” Mr. Robbins said. “We like to have someone sitting there to direct visitors to where they need to go and ultimately, it’s a security measure.”
Currently, a greeter sits at desk in the building’s main hallway, near the school’s main door — the only door that remains open throughout the school day. A teacher or teacher’s aid is seated at the desk between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. The new desk will be taller and more formal and its positioning will ensure all visitors check in with a greeter before entering the building, Mr. Robbins said.
At this time, the committees’ intention is to keep the kiosk monitored by the same people for the same hours. Mr. Robbins said, however, that the committees’ may offer the township’s Recreation Department the option of using the kiosk during later hours when the building is used for recreation department activities, provided the department is willing to pay for someone to sit at the door.
The swipe card system would allow teachers and other staff to enter the building though all the school’s doors. If a buzzer system were installed, the only door that is currently left unlocked would remain locked throughout the school day. A visitor wishing to enter the building would press a button at that door, where the greeter would be stationed, and the door would be unlocked to allow the visitor to enter the school at the greeter’s discretion.
The committees are hoping to update the school’s public address system, because the current system does not reach all parts of the school.
The formation of a third committee, which would examine school custodians’ responsibilities and determine how to provide them with more resources for enhancing security is being contemplated by the collaborative committee.
”You really can’t not have the custodians involved when you’re talking about security,” Mr. Robbins said. “They lock the doors and the windows and they’re here all the time. They’re really a big part of security, even though they’re not security guards.”
Mr. Venanzi said, he’s looking into the costs of making these security upgrades in the school. “People are telling me that it’s a need and I’m pursuing it,” Mr. Venanzi said. “We’re talking about establishing a standard change in the district.”
Mr. Robbins said members of the committees have relayed their ideas to the district’s other principals and that the Upper Middle School’s plan could serve as a model for the other schools.