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Woodland Park School District has begun construction of security vestibules at each of its five school buildings.
The vestibules, where the inside doors will be locked, will fortify visitors entrances to Woodland Park High School, Woodland Park Middle School, and Gateway, Summit and Columbine elementary schools.
They are funded by a $334,910 School Security Disbursement Grant awarded to the district in February 2019 by the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to improve school safety and security.
Last year public schools across Colorado received a total of $29 million for construction projects that ramp up security and prevent school violence.
We also added an Emergency Management Software System by Raptor Technologies at each building this past winter that includes scanning a visitors drivers license and receiving an immediate background check. Visitor badges are also part of this process, said Stacy Schubloom, WPSD spokesperson, via email.
Visitors to the schools will pass through a vestibule, where trained staff will greet the visitors from behind bulletproof glass. Anyone entering one of the schools will be required to present identification, such as a valid drivers license, that will be scanned to check for criminal history and potential red flags that could threaten student safety.
The schedule for vestibule construction will stagger throughout the summer, according to a WPSD news release. Alternate entrances to the schools will be designated during construction.
Students will enter the schools as they always have.
