As a child of the 70’s and 80’s, and now a mom of three young adults, I once resisted the idea of keeping classroom doors locked at all times.  Back in the Olden Days, the fence around my school was only there to keep the kickball from rolling away into the neighbor’s yard (again), and all of the doors were left unlocked during the day.  If the weather was nice, the doors were wide open.

My kids attended an elementary school (2007-2015) that was designed with “open-plan” classrooms, with no interior doors at all.  The exterior doors were left unlocked until the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.  Newtown Connecticut was only 130 miles away, and one of our beloved gym teachers had recently relocated to Sandy Hook.  Interior classroom doors with locks were added during the next summer vacation.

Times have changed.  When a shooting occurred in September at Apalachee High School, the classroom doors were closed and locked as required by district policies.  According to reports, when the shooter – a student – tried to enter his classroom, another student saw that he was carrying a gun and didn’t open the locked door.  This simple security measure is being praised as one of the reasons more lives were not lost.

One downside of closed and locked doors is that building occupants often employ convenience measures that may defeat the security.  There may be a tendency to prop the doors open or to prevent them from latching.  For this reason, setting policies and procedures – and then following them – are critical to the security of schools and other buildings.

When I visited Minnesota to train the members of Allegion’s Early Careers Program, we went on a field trip to a local high school.  I noted the classroom doors in the Fixed-it Friday photos below, and the policy stated on the signs posted on several doors.  When it was time for students to change classrooms, the doors were held open with floor-mounted stops/holders.

During class time the doors were kept closed and locked.  If a student was allowed to enter after the door was closed, the door closer automatically closed and latched the door.  Although the classroom security function locksets had the ability to be left unlocked, they were kept in the locked position (with free egress, of course).  School staff monitored the corridors and ensured that the policies were followed.*

I’m wondering what you are seeing out in the field, and what you currently specify or recommend for classroom doors.  Doors that are lockable, or doors that are always locked?

WWYD? 

*Our visit was during the summer break, which is why some of the doors were open.  The school was not occupied by students at that time, and maintenance was being done in some of the classrooms.

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