Safety Upgrades Coming to Elementary, Primary School Entrances in Oconee County

Oconee County Schools will use money from the sale of surplus items to standardize the front, inside entrances of the elementary and primary schools.

The plan, according to Assistant Superintendent of Operations and Students Services Mark Channell, is to upgrade the entrances of High Shoals Elementary, Malcom Bridge Elementary, Rocky Branch Elementary and Oconee County Primary schools to match the safety features of the renovated entrances at Colham Ferry Elementary and Oconee County Elementary.

At HSES, MBES and RBES, new security doors with buzzers will be added to the entrances' brick hallways, and a window in each of the front offices will be replaced with a sliding window where visitors can check in and check out.

"Oconee Primary's going to be a little different in that we want to make an entrance into the brick wall that goes straight into the current waiting room so that parents will go straight into the office," he explained.

What do you think about the plan to standardize the entrances to the elementary and primary schools? Share in the comments below.

Channell told the Board of Education this week that an individual is interested in purchasing seven double-wide portable units that have already been declared surplus along with two restroom units that would need to be added to the surplus list.  The system is asking for $25,000 for the bundle, which, combined with money already on hand, will go toward funding the safety upgrades. A request for proposals will be issued soon, he added.

"We're excited about that process to not only get rid of the portable units but being able to ratchet up some elementary school safety ideas," he said.

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See also:

• Parent Urges Oconee School Board to Boost Security with Armed Law Enforcement Presence
• Is Arming Principals the Answer to School Violence?
• Oconee County Schools Statement on School Safety and Parent Resource
• NRA Calls for 'Armed Security' Around Schools
• Georgia Schools Chief Backs NRA Proposal on Armed Officers at Schools
• Bulletproof Backpacks and Armed Security at Schools — Is This What We've Come To?