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Aug 26, 2008 2:33 pm US/Central
Security At North Texas School Goes High Tech
LAKE HIGHLANDS (CBS 11 News) ―
Students at Lake Highlands Elementary arrived to school Tuesday morning under the watchful eye of a new security system.
"We're very appreciative of the locked doors, the keyless entry," explained school Principal Kim Sullivan. "The only way to get out is from the inside. This way, everybody is safe at all times."
The new security system is part of the Richardson Independent School District's attempt to lock out intruders and lock in a more secure environment.
Richardson ISD security manager Scott Porter says, "It gives the principal piece of mind to know that the building is locked and secure and that the people inside are the ones that are supposed to be in the building."
Nearly every door at the school has keyless entry. The hallways and classrooms are monitored by surveillance cameras.
The security system is web-based which means the principal and authorized school administrators can access it from home.
The school has also designated one area an official 'hug zone'. The area, near the front door, is where parents can drop off and say goodbye to their children.
The 'hug zone' keeps parents from wandering the halls and helps in other ways. "It keeps the parents like me, who talk a lot, from sticking their head in the teacher's door and taking up the whole morning," parent Dru Ubben said.
Educators say the less people there are inside the school; the easier it is to keep track of who's in and who's out.
Every elementary school in the Richardson ISD is being outfitted with new security systems. It cost the district nearly $30,000 to install the system at each school.
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