ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – The DeKalb County school board approved new vestibules for all 138 district schools Monday night.
DeKalb County School District police chief Tracey Whaley said it’s one more layer of protection for kids inside school.
“We have to keep our students safe,” said Whaley. “They’re another barrier between people who may come into the building and kids in the building. They’re secure from two points: the outside door [and] inside door,” Whaley said.
The $35 million dollar project is paid for by ESPLOST money.
Whaley says each school is different, so each design will be different too.
Whaley said DeKalb County schools already have metal detectors at the middle and high school levels and panic buttons in all schools for lockdowns or medical emergencies.
They are also in the process of sharing 3D maps of all their schools with first responders.
“So if there’s an emergency they can determine exactly where it is where all the resources are, say if they need a fire extinguisher,” said Whaley.
They also held an active shooter drill with all the local law enforcement agencies across DeKalb County in February. Now all those chiefs meet once a month.
“We know exactly who is where, we have a relationship in place, we are in communication with each other, we all agreed to mutually respond and help each other,” said Whaley.
Whaley hopes parents know that these vestibules are just one more way to keep their children safe in school.
“So many other things, School Resource Officers and safety officers in schools, all of things work together to keep kids safe so they can learn,” said Whaley.
The upgrades should begin this summer.
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