New Security Systems in Place

20 August 2008 The Pendleton Times

A new security system is in place at Pendleton County Middle/High School (PCM/HS) and at North Fork Elementary School (NFES) for entry to those buildings when school begins in less than two weeks. "It is a preventive measure," says PCHS principal Charles Hedrick. County school superintendent Doug Lambert explains that the security measures were mandated by Governor Joe Manchin, the state School Building Authority (SBA) and the state Legislature. Pendleton County has moved quickly to comply with the school security requirements. Eighty-five percent of the funding came from the state ($46,000). Fifteen percent came from the county school budget ($6,000). It was safety coordinator Mike Hammer and the county’s Safe and Productive Schools committee, which is made up of school, law enforcement and community members and is the committee that implements school security measures.

On school mornings, regular and normal access through the front doors will be granted to students, faculty and staff. However, when classes begin, anyone seeking to enter the buildings will be viewed on a monitor and must be "buzzed in" from the front desk to gain entry. Visitors to the school will also be required to show proof of identification (ID) before access to the facility is granted. A photo ID/credential exchange with personal recognition will be required of all visitors entering county schools. Visitors will be requested at the reception area/main office to show proof of identity, either with a photo ID, such as a driver’s license, or some sort of credential, such as a personal credit card. With that second choice, a non-photo ID, personal recognition by a school official will be required. With the credential exchange, the visitor will receive a visitor’s pass. When the visit is complete, the pass will be exchanged for the ID credential. Lambert says, "It will take some getting used to. Please be reminded that all our safety measures are taken to protect the school environment."

"We hope people are patient," Hedrick commented. "It is being done to better protect our school populations by means of more secure buildings from an access point of view. It may take some time for everyone to be comfortable with it, but I’m confident that it will happen. It makes our school safer." Lambert adds, "Consistency in administering the policy is of paramount importance. We ask that the public understand and support this initiative." Overall, the state appropriated $10 million for the program with the funds allocated on an enrollment basis. That didn’t give Pendleton County a lot of money to spend on program installation.

And that’s where Hammer comes into play. "It took a lot of study," he says. "We think we got as much bang out of the buck as humanly possible." The new security measures, which will be in place at Brandywine Elementary when renovations are finished there and will be installed at Franklin Elementary later, are not the first to be introduced in the past couple of years, and they aren’t going to be the last, Hammer promises. Hammer recalls that two years ago, he and Doug Simmons went to Morgantown to study and examine security technology with Ingersoll-Rand. Their security technology was easy to install, and the company provided quality tech support. That resulted in exterior locks on county school buildings, which gave Pendleton a head start on sound local school security. "To this point," Hammer says, "we’re confident in local school security. We have other plans for improving and increasing other school security issues in the future as funds become available."