More Schools in a Montco District Getting Security Systems

By Brad Segall

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. (CBS) -- A Pennsylvania state grant will soon allow a Montgomery County, Pa. school district to expand a digital security system designed to keep its students and staff safer inside their school buildings.

Three years ago, the Colonial School District installed a digital security kiosk at Colonial Elementary (top photo), to better keep track of the people who were coming and going each day.

Now, a nearly $25,000 "Safe School Initiative" grant will allow the district to install the system in the district's remaining six schools.

"We had an old, archaic system of people signing in on paper (and given) paper badges, and it really was almost impossible to detect who was in the building at any given time," notes district operations director Terry Yemm.

The new security kiosks will print badges with the visitor's name and photo, and staff will have remote access to all visitor information.

The kiosks scan national lists; the unit at Colonial Elementary School once caught a visitor -- a relative of a student -- in the sexual predators database.

In:
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• Education
• Montgomery County