A security door lock installed at a Michigan high school 4 years ago may have saved lives
The decision four years ago to install special locking locks on the classroom doors glass handles manufacturer of Oxford High School may have saved lives in the shooting last week.
“Unless needed, it’s not a lock, but a piece of hardware installed on the door and another piece installed on the floor. Nightlock’s sales director Cris Ahearn said that the locking device is a red handle on the wall next to the door. In the wall box.
If a lock or drill occurs, open the box and remove the red handle. One end slides into the groove in the door; the other end is installed in a groove on a metal plate installed on the floor.
"If the classroom door has glass... and the perpetrator tries to break the glass and reach in and turn the handle to enter the room, they can't do that because the door is locked on the floor," Ahern said.
According to Nightlock records, Oxford University began installing these locks in 2017. One version of the installation is suitable for doors swinging outwards or inwards. The other version is suitable for swing doors of most classroom doors. Oxford has two types of locks in high schools and throughout the district.
On Tuesday, November 30, the shooting killed 4 students and injured 6 other students and a teacher. The gunman allegedly never entered the classroom.
"The first thing I thought about was that at least they had our lock. Then we watched it unfold on our computer, and at first they said there was no loss of life, and we were relieved. Then we found out that this was not the case," Ahearn said. "Throughout our emotional week, I have been wondering how you locked the corridor? We can provide safe rooms in every office and every classroom, but if you are in the hallway, then you will be exposed, which is miserable. "
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard reviewed the crime scene last week and praised Oxford Community School for taking safety precautions.
"Due to the active work of the Oxford School, there is an extensive camera system... Our liaison has taught them ALICE (alert, lock, notify, counterattack, evacuate)," Bouchard said. “The table was overturned, the door was barricadeed, the door was actually hit by gunfire, and the barricade was the same. But the door was safe, so the behavior, training, and agreement saved lives.”
"This is not the reason you want the phone to ring. Our hearts are broken, our hearts are broken. I have friends whose children go to that school. It's tragic," Ahern said.
Then, in 2021, 26 people died at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, including 20 children.
"After Sandy Hook, the teachers started calling, they wanted these devices to be used in their classrooms, but that (residential) device did not meet the classroom exit regulations," Ahearn said. “Therefore, the design of the locking device is based on collaboration with school administrators and code officials to come up with safe and effective methods. We have been doing this since 2012 and since Sandy Hook.”
She said that in the past week, they received a large number of emails of glass handles manufacturer and social media posts from parents and children, thanking them for having a lock in their school.