Small Town News

Technology Assures More Safety at EISD

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A new high-tech security system has been installed on the campus and in all four schools of the Edgewood Independent School District. Cameras scan activity in every building, and doors are locked from the outside once the first bell of the day rings. Faculty and staff can enter during the day by using identification cards that are recognized by the computer. Visitors and students coming later in the day stand before a camera near the building doors and are admitted once the secretary in the office recognizes them. "Buzzed-in," they call it.

EISD Superintendent Jack Shellnutt is pleased with the new system which he says makes parents and students feel more comfortable and has helped students discipline themselves to be where they belong during the day. Cameras in all four schools and on the campus monitor activity 24 hours a day. The system computer retains all the information and is not vulnerable to losing valuable evidence of a break-in like the former system was. Large color-screen monitors in each principal's office and in the administration building are divided into grids to view activity where all the cameras operate. Additional cameras monitor activities on the parking lots which can provide valuable safeguards during ball games and other outdoor sports activities. The superintendent has an alarm on a computer at his home that notifies him of any problems.

Shellnutt, who has bee superintendent since 1997, explained that every three years a state security audit is done by a team trained to recognize gaps in security at Texas schools. The last one was part of the "Homeland Security" effort and recommended the new, more sophisticated system for Edgewood schools. The $200,000 price tag was part of the second building bond package approved by voters in 2008. The system was completed, and with the exception of a few technical glitches during the testing phase, it has worked perfectly ever since.

In addition to its: value as a safety precaution, the system has given the added bonus of helping students stay where they belong. Shellnutt says, "It has slowed down junior high 'hall-rambling' tremendously because when there is a camera that can play back what has occurred in the hallway, there is no argument!"

Shellnutt recognizes that school break-ins and sometimes vandalism are unfortunate risks in these uncertain economic times, especially in summers and at the agriculture mechanics building where a lot of metal is used. In the past, burglars took the recording tapes of the security computers so there was no evidence. That is no longer possible with the new system, so any break-in would be recorded and provide solid evidence for law enforcement.

Driving on Highway 80 pas the beautiful large campus of the four Edgewood schools evokes a feelimg of pride in the peacefulness of a mostly rural school district in East Texas. However, that same view can also mean vulnerability in these times of concern over security. When the Edgewood situation was evaluated by Texas law enforcement and educators, the information and advice led the town's citizens to fund a system that protects not only the high-dollar technical equipment found in schools today but also the irreplaceable people who study and work on this campus. Good work, Edgewood!



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© 2010 Edgewood Enterprise Edgewood, New Mexico. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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