What's the Status of Security Updates at Newton Schools?

Progress continues to be made on updating the security systems at 19 Newton elementary and middle schools, as well as for preschool and after-school programs at the Newton Education Center and Newton South High School.

The district announced its plans for the security systems in early January, just weeks after a gunman in Newtown, Conn. walked into an elementary school and killed 20 students and six adults.

Since then, the district has been working to implement new systems at multiple schools and to update the buzzer system already in place at Lincoln-Eliot Elementary School.

The new security measures include implementing buzzer entry systems at the schools' front doors so that guests throughout the day will need to be "buzzed in" for entry after identifying themselves. The front doors will remain unlocked during drop-off times, Superintendent David Fleishman told Patch in March.

According to a memo from Deputy Superintendent Sandra Guryan, much of the wiring and equipment installation is now complete at the schools and training schedules for teachers, administrators and others are now being designed.

As part of the new systems, Guryan's memo explains, school employees will receive photo ID badges that replace their current "fob" devices. Those badges will serve as their keys to the buildings.

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Employees at Bigelow Middle School, Bowen Elementary School, Lincoln-Eliot Elementary School and Mason-Rice Elementary School will begin receiving their photo badges next week, Guryan wrote in her memo, with the expectation of launching a pilot implementation of the new security systems at those schools at the end of the month.

Pending the success of the pilot program at the first four schools, the implementation at the other affected schools will be determined.