Moorpark Unified Purchases Door Security Systems for Elementary Schools
Photo courtesy of Aiphone Corporation
(Moorpark, California) Dec. 13, 2023—Moorpark Unified School District will purchase remote-controlled door-buzzer entry systems for the front offices at its six elementary schools.
The MUSD Board of Education heard from Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Lynn David during the board’s Dec. 12 meeting about the approximately $48,000 purchase from Rancho Cucamonga-based Montgomery Hardware Co.
David said MUSD leadership has been discussing the new entry systems since last year and had visited neighboring districts to see firsthand how the door buzzers work during a typical school day.
Montgomery Hardware Co. will provide the entry systems made by Washington-based Aiphone Corp. and will handle the installation which is scheduled to be done by early 2024.
“School security requires a multi-layer approach that includes both protecting the buildings and training the staff to ensure the safety of our students and staff,” Superintendent Dr. Kelli Hays said. “The buzz-through entryway systems are an additional layer to help protect our campuses.”
The wireless security system will lock doors and allow school staff to see visitors via a camera, and then buzz them into the school’s front office. Staff at the school sites will be trained on how to work the new system.
The new entryway security systems are the most recent expenditure in the nearly $1.7 million Moorpark Unified has invested in school safety the past two years.
Other security measures have included new cameras, upgrades to hand-held radios, improved public announcement systems, additional window blinds and tinting, districtwide active assailant training for all staff and improvements to external gate doors outside campuses.
The entryway security systems will be installed at the preschool, middle school and high school campuses, as well as the district office, in early 2024.
Superintendent Hays acknowledged the potential for initial frustration with the new security system but stressed that the district’s No. 1 goal remains the safety of students.
“We know that a safe school leads to better emotional health and greater focus for students during the school day,” Hays said. “It will likely take time to get used to the new system, but we truly care for our students, staff and families. We think these buzz-through doors will help keep the people we care about safe, even if it takes some time to adjust."