With the alarming rise in violent acts occurring in our schools over recent years, comes the need to find ways to heighten security and make our schools a safer place for our kids and educators. One way that schools are doing this is through the use of magnets. Many school districts throughout the United States have started using magnetic strips and sheeting to make their lockdown procedures faster, safer and easier.
Magnetic Strips For Classrooms
Typically in a lockdown situation, the teacher would need to find the key to the classroom door and go out in the hallway to lock the door so the classroom could not be accessed by someone in the hall. However, through the use of a simple magnetic strip, the classroom door can remain locked at all times, but still be opened and closed with ease.
This is accomplished by placing a magnetic strip over the strike plate on the metal door jamb, preventing the latch from catching and allowing the door to still be able to open and close with ease. In the case of an emergency, when a lockdown needs to occur, the teacher simply has to only open the door a few inches to remove the magnet covering the latch and once the door is closed, it will be locked in a matter of seconds, with one simple action that even a child could perform if necessary.
Covering Classroom Windows With Magnetic Sheeting
One other way that some school districts are securing their schools with magnets, is through the use of magnetic sheeting. Flexible magnetic sheeting is wider and longer than magnetic strip. Some schools have bought large sheets of magnet which are large enough to cover their classroom windows in the case of a lockdown. The magnetic sheeting attracts to the metal window frame and allows the entire window to be covered up quickly and completely obscuring any kind of view from the outside in. The magnet is fast and easy to put up and take down. When not in use the magnet can simply be rolled up and kept nearby without taking up a lot of space.
Unfortunately, out of necessity, heightened security measures are one of the largest growing issues that our nation’s schools are facing today. Magnets are both a cost efficient and highly effective tool for administrators to use to increase the safety in their schools.