Entryways With Locking Vestibule Doors Becoming Common Safety Features

The Holland (MI) Sentinel (8/31) reports, "According to the 2008 Indicators of School Crime and Safety report by the National Center for Education Statistics, during the 2005–06 school year, 85 percent of public schools controlled access to school buildings by locking or monitoring doors during school hours, and 41 percent controlled access to school grounds with locked or monitored gates." According to Ben Perdok, project architect for GMB Architecture and Engineering, "having vestibule doors, and ensuring all visitors funnel through the main office, is key to the design seen in many new school buildings." The Sentinel notes that the feature has become popular among area schools. "In the morning when the kids come in, all of those doors are open and, once the kids are in session, the second set can be locked and there's a door going directly into the office area," Perdok said.