How Safety Was Enhanced at Waukee Schools Over the Summer

Over the summer, the Waukee School District’s operations department took some serious looks at increasing security at the district’s facilities.

“Student safety is always a priority and given the unfortunate events around the U.S., this emphasizes  the need to continually evaluate our systems and procedures,” officials said in a story on the district’s web site

“Columbine locks” and additional card access points were the main areas of concern. Columbine locks, named for the Colorado school shooting in 1999, are designed to be locked from the inside in an emergency situation. The doors have two keys, one of the inside lock and one for the outside. Outside locks have individual keys, but an inside lock can be secured with any key.

All exterior doors will remain locked, with the exception of the main entrances. Card access gives the district the ability to control when and where staff can enter, and provides the additional benefit of eliminating the need for a physical key that can be lost, stolen or duplicated, thus circumventing security measures. If a card is lost or stolen, it can be disabled and a replacement can be issued.