Doors Locked, Monitors on Duty in Sudbury Elementary Schools

Sudbury’s elementary schools began locking their front doors on Monday, the one-month anniversary of the horrific school massacre in Newtown, Conn., which prompted schools across the country to review safety procedures in the hopes of preventing a similar tragedy.

At the Jan. 16 meeting of the Sudbury Public Schools Committee, Superintendent Anne Wilson said temporary door attendants have been monitoring the front doors this week and will continue to do so until new doors are installed. Those new doors will include features such as video cameras and a buzzer system, she said.

Officials said the cost for installing the new doors has been estimated at less than $100,000. The new doors should be in place by March, they said.

“We feel good about the progress we’re made so far, and look forward to learning more,” Wilson said about ongoing efforts to enhance safety in Sudbury’s schools. 

She said additional safety measures include the hiring of a consultant who will review Sudbury’s overall system and make recommendations for improvement.  She said she and a few other school officials will attend a safety conference on Jan. 28 presented by the Superintendents Association.

“And, we will continue to work in partnership with the Sudbury Police Department,” Wilson said. 

At previous school committee meetings, officials advised that they could not reveal too much about Sudbury’s security procedures in order not to unknowingly assist someone who may be looking for a way to circumvent those procedures.

Elementary schools across the country scrambled to improve their safety procedures after a gunman on a rampage killed 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14. The front doors to Sandy Hook were locked at the time, and