New York City schools will soon be able to lock the front doors, thanks to new camera and buzzer systems expanding across the five boroughs.
The Panel for Educational Policy approved a $43 million contract with Symbrant Technologies Inc. on Wednesday night, clearing a final hurdle to implement technology first announced in the mayor’s preliminary budget last month.
The security system, intended to keep unwanted visitors out of school buildings, is deactivated during normal arrival and dismissal times. Many families and unions called for the devices following the Uvalde, Texas, elementary school shooting last year.
But while some parents and staffers celebrated the heightened safety, others questioned whether the costly project — expected to total $78 million by completion — is the best use of money to address a recent string of violent episodes after school.
“I really want us to be thoughtful in our approach,” said Tom Sheppard, who represents Bronx parents on the panel. “If the issues that are happening are around our schools, I have questions about whether this system of locking the doors will do anything to deal with that issue.”
The city will spend approximately $30,000 to outfit each school building, said State Assemblyman Mike Reilly, who advocated for the security system for more than a decade. The money will go toward equipment, cabling and installation, according to materials presented to the board.
Most of the funding will come through the mayor’s office, while the rest is already budgeted in the department’s capital plan for school safety and security enhancements, panel members were briefed.
“These common sense measures will certainly strengthen our first line of defense to keeping our school community safe,” said Robert Quintana, principal of P.S. 28 in Corona, Queens, a pre-kindergarten through second-grade school. “As a father of three and as a principal, this is the one commodity that is priceless.”