December School Board Meeting
Meeting Recap and District News
Construction Updates
Committee Work
Nutrition Services
Nutrition Services presented updates to the school board. Last year this department saw an increase in student meals served- in part due to an initiative that lets students voice input on meals. Nutrition Services has also been utilizing a farm-to-school grant that allows the district to purchase local, healthy food to incorporate into meals.
Zone 2 School Board Member Elected
Press Release: Safety Upgrades at Estacada High School Reach Completion
December 6th, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Maggie Kelly
Communications Coordinator
Estacada School District
503-630-6871 x 2911
communications@estacada.k12.or.us
Safety Upgrades at Estacada High School Reach Completion
ESTACADA, Or.— The Estacada High School Access Control Upgrade project will reach completion over winter break. This safety update will create keyless access to all outside doors at Estacada High School.
This significant upgrade will allow doors to remain locked during the school day, allowing for better security and visitor tracking, as well as increased control of student traffic. School staff will have programmable key cards, and visitors and coaches will be issued temporary key cards that can be remotely disabled. Another benefit of this technology is the ability to instantly lockdown the building at the touch of a button in the event of a crisis.
The project will finish before school resumes on January 2nd. The project required door wiring, software installation, and the replacement of a limited number of doors that had significant physical damage prior to project start. Starting January 2nd, all access to the building will be dependent upon key card access, or access through the front doors. Estacada High School’s new front door entry requires access through a locked vestibule that will be monitored by school staff.
Another concern alleviated by this upgrade is the possibility of missing keys. Currently, physical keys can potentially go missing or may be passed on to others, creating a building security concern. With the new upgrade, keycards can be remotely deactivated. They are also easy and cost-efficient to replace. Key swipes are tracked online, allowing for a better overview of building traffic and access.
Superintendent Carpenter is enthusiastic about the upgrades, noting “Anytime we can use 21st-century technology to upgrade a facility to provide increased safety for our students is an exciting opportunity. Student safety continues to be our top priority, and we feel that this update alleviates many common safety concerns held by our community.”
ABOUT ESTACADA SCHOOL DISTRICT – The Estacada School District’s mission is to equip every student with the skills necessary to be competent, resourceful and successful. For more information, contact: Maggie Kelly at 503-630-6871 x2911.
School Security Upgrade FAQ
How will parents and students enter the building now?
If you arrive while school is in session, enter the vestibule and sign in via a computer sign in. Secretaries will greet you and walk you through the process. Then you will be buzzed in through the second set of doors. Doors and the sign in system will all be ADA accessible.
What about passing times in between classes?
Doors will be on a timer to remain unlocked for a five-minute window in between classes to allow students to travel to their classes.
What about power outages?
All doors will have a battery backup in the event of power outages, and will still retain functionality.
What about coaches that need access to athletic facilities?
Coaches may be issued limited access keycards on an as needed basis. These keycards will be programmed to allow access to the areas they need access to, during the times they will be using the facilities.
Will doors be closed and locked during arrival and departure times?
Doors will remain open and monitored during student arrival and departure times.
Why don’t all Estacada schools have this?
Estacada High School is the district’s most vulnerable building, with many entrances and exits. For this reason, EHS was selected as the first school to receive this upgrade. Once the technology is installed at this building, it has the potential to expand to all school sites. The district will look at the viability of expanding this technology to all campuses after it becomes familiar with the technology in place at the high school. Until then, all schools will remain locked during the school day, and visitor access will be granted through the newly installed vestibules.
Why were metal detectors not included in this plan?
Metal detectors create separate challenges including a need for highly trained staff, and well as established protocols on student and visitor body and bag searches. The District will be discussing further school security upgrades during the 2018-2019 school year, but is excited for this opportunity to provide vestibules as a new layer of protection for our students.
If students arrive late, how will they get into their school?
Students arriving late will be checked in at the vestibule through an attendance tracking system. Students will be able to wait inside the vestibule and will be protected from the weather.
For more information
January's Estacada School District Board Meeting
The public is welcome and encouraged to attend this meeting.
Wednesday, Jan 9, 2019, 07:00 PM
Estacada High School, Northeast 6th Avenue, Estacada, OR, United States
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
About us
Email: communications@estacada.k12.or.us
Website: www.estacada.k12.or.us
Location: 255 Northeast 6th Avenue, Estacada, OR, United States
Phone: 503-630-6871
Facebook: facebook.com/EstacadaSchools
Twitter: @ESD108