Thursday March 28th, 2024 8:15AM

Gainesville High School to update security at main entrances

School safety has become a top priority for officials, and that includes updating two entrances at the main building of Gainesville High School.
 
The school board unanimously approved the updates proposed by Chief Operations Officer Adrian Niles at a work session Monday.
 
The security vestibules would be located on the first floor and third floor entrances and include an aluminum store front with doors and card reader access, as well as two four foot sliding windows to the office, electrified door hardware, conduit, gyp board, paint and other details, as well as overall security enhancements.
 
"Now as you come in to the third floor on Elephant Trail, you come right in and you can go anywhere in the building. Where the wall is and the hallway starts, this will put a glass front there that has a card reader, but also we'll take those two windows out, have sliding windows there and the person that comes in from the public will go to those windows and whatever business they have, the person inside will buzz them in," said Niles during the work session.
 
"The first floor, the same thing at the main entrance," said Niles. "Now it will be an extended front office and from there you'll get permission and buzzed to go out into the main corridor of the building."
 
Superintendent Jeremy Williams said the security checkpoints were in all of the other school buildings, but Gainesville High School is an older school and had more of a "free range" design.
 
"The high school is a 20-plus year old building, so it's just getting it up to date with some of the challenges that we've addressed in some of our other buildings,' said Williams. "The middle school, for example, when you go in to it you can either go in to the main office to the right or to the student services too the left. But you have to go one of those two places before you go to the rest of the building."
 
But at the high school, Williams said anyone could go straight in to the building. "When you have 13 buildings on 10 acres, it presents its own issues and challenges of safety. But when your main building you have that opportunity to walk in and walk out at any give time... it's our responsibility to make sure the kids are safe. So by having a check-in, check-out vestibule on the top floor and the main level is definitely major strides in making out students safe."
 
Williams said updating the security for the high school had been in the works for a while, with the goal of making sure someone sees each person that entered the school.
 
Board members asked about standard operations. Board member Sammy Smith asked how the students would get in to the building and if they'd use the aforementioned key reader. Niles said the front office will actually be able to activate door access using a lockdown system, so students can come in and out during arrival and dismissal.
 
Niles said they are also looking at adding a new identification system as well.
 
"The biggest adjustment is going to be for the kids, when it's not just wide open during class, and I know that's a concern for some of the kids, but they should be in class. It'll start, I believe, allowing them to address the issues that have been a problem for a while, regarding kids being all over the campus," said Williams during the meeting.
 
"And simply people being in the building that shouldn't be," Niles said.
 
"Adults in the building, just coming in," added GHS Principal Jamie Green, who was in the audience at the meeting and said previously that he liked the plan.
 
The project would be funded by SPLOST IV excess and Instruction Reimbursement from the modular building that was set on fire this past winter. Carroll Daniel Construction bid on the security upgrades to both floors for a total of $189,582, and was recommended by Operations to the School Board.
 
It should be completed by the start of school. 
 

  • Associated Categories: Homepage, Local/State News
  • Associated Tags: gainesville, Gainesville City Schools, schools, security, Gainesville High School
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