SPOKANE, Wash.-- The Central Valley School District is continuing its plans to increase school security.
The board voted and agreed to purchase land from the Spokane Gun Club near Sprague Avenue and Henry Road for its new high school.
The facility will have many of the same features as other schools in the district, but will also have new updates.
Cameras will be placed in hallways, classrooms and other busy areas. Glass windows will be put outside the front doors so staff can have a clear view of anyone standing outside.
Marla Nunberg, the district’s director of communications, said one of their main plans is to have only one entrance into the school.
“The key in all our schools is that single point of entry, having that ability to be able to identify people before they come into the school so that we can see, and then again, keep those doors locked if it’s something that we do not want inside of our schools,” said Nunberg.
The one front entrance will have a camera that is linked to a computer monitor in the staff office.
Parents and visitors will have to use a video intercom system to communicate with staff and announce the reason for their visit before entering the building.
Card readers will be located near the entrance for employees to tap their access cards or enter a code.
Nunberg said these features are just precautions the school needs to take.
“We can’t ever just rest on our laurels that the kids are safe. Things change every day, and I think that we need to look at that from different perspectives at all times, and I think that’s what we’re doing as a district,” said Nunberg.
The school is set to open in 2021 and will be the district’s fourth high school.