Ensuring a Safe School Environment

  • 06/01/18
Cyberlock

Cyberlock served as a cost-effective way for The Southhampton School District to reduce the number of keys shared, and bring a new sense of safety and security to school life.

Southampton School District (SHSD) is nestled in the beach village of Southampton, New York. As part of the summer colony known as The Hamptons, it has a mix of middle-income neighborhoods, rural farms, and an affluent estate section. The village is anchored by the elementary, middle, and high schools which are at the very center of community activity.

Over the years SHSD had lost control of their mechanical master/sub-master key system. Problems associated with key-sharing were worrisome and there was constant concern about lost keys being used by unauthorized people. SHSD began searching for a solution that would circumvent lost key issues and give them more control at the door.

Randy Dobler, SHSD director of Facilities & Operations, says, “A number of manufacturers showed us their products. It was sheer luck that I stumbled upon a CyberLock ad in a trade magazine. We immediately saw CyberLock as a cost-effective alternative to what we had in place. Not only could we expand the system as needed but we could retrofit the locks in all our doors without hardwiring. We contacted other schools that were using CyberLock and received positive feedback.”

After a trial installation at SHSD offices they proceeded to install 221 CyberLock electronic cylinders in the elementary and middle schools and issued 249 smart keys to teachers and staff. Steve Phillips, SHSD maintenance supervisor, shares, “I’ve been very impressed with the ease of installation. It only takes three minutes to retrofit a lock with the CyberLock eCylinder. We are currently expanding the CyberLock system to the high school.

Dobler concludes, “Prior to CyberLock, we felt like everyone in town had keys to our schools. Now, each teacher and staff member carries their own smart key that is programmed to access that person’s workspaces. The key is valuable to staff so key sharing has ceased.

www.cyberlock.com

This article originally appeared in the School Planning & Management June 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Pfluger Architects Announces Promotions of Seven Staff Members

    Texas-based architecture firm Pfluger Architects recently announced that it has promoted seven staff members to senior-level positions. One of the promotions is that of Dallas-based Senior Project Architect Chad Martin to Principal, according to a news release.

  • Fellowes Launches New Textile Collection

    Fellowes Contract Interiors recently partnered with Momentum Textiles & Wallcoverings to launch a new line of high-end-design, cost-effective textiles, according to a news release. Part of Momentum Textiles’ Kickstart collection, the new selection offers high-quality and versatile textiles for both smaller budgets and the early design phase of larger projects.

  • Kimball International Launches Season 5 of Alternative Design Podcast

    Commercial furnishings manufacturer Kimball International recently premiered the fifth season of its Alternative Design podcast, according to a news release. The first episode was released on March 17, and new episodes will launch monthly. The podcast discusses forces that shape built environments, from work to housing to healthcare to human wellness.

  • Fort Collins to Convert 1980s Office Park into Junior High School

    The Liberty Common School, a charter-public school in Fort Collins, Colo., recently broke ground on an adaptive reuse project that will convert an 1980s-era office park into a 45,000-square-foot junior high school for seventh- and eighth-grade students, according to a news release.