Jefferson School Vice Principal Invents Locking Device For Classrooms

Dominick Tarquinio, the vice principal of Fair Lawn's Thomas Jefferson Middle School, has started a new business around an invention he said will make schools safer.

The LockAide, a "mechanical keyless door security device," is designed to allow teachers or other staff to quickly lock classroom doors in the event of a school lockdown without having "to fumble in search for their classroom key," according to Tarquinio.

Tarquino said he came up with the idea for the invention after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

"l needed to figure out a way to slow down and deter an intruder to allow time for law enforcement to respond which would save countless lives," Tarquinio said in a press release.

The device is mounted on the edge of a door and does not require existing locks to be removed, Tarquinio told Patch. There are two guiding rails which can be slid up or down with small lever to lock it in place.

A "reassuring clicking sound" confirms that the latch has been locked, he said.

The device doesn't require any keys, meaning it can be used by substitute teachers or anyone else running a classroom at the time of an emergency. It can also be installed on any door, regardless of how it opens.

Jefferson School Principal Sherrie Galofaro called the LockAide "a brilliant invention."

The Van Riper-Ellis Christian School already has plans to install the locks this summer, according to school Director Robin Wetzel.

Tarquinio's new company which makes the LockAides, Tarqmax Solutions, is based in Staten Island, N.Y. and is introducing the new invention at the 2013 Police Security Expo in Atlantic City this week. 

The response from law enforcement officials and educators at the event has been "overwhelming," he told Patch.

Follow Fair Lawn Patch on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to receive our daily newsletter in your inbox each morning.