BFA-Fairfax adjusts to locked-door policy

By Lisa M. Boucher Free Press Correspondent

FAIRFAX — There was a time Fairfax schools were open and parents were able to come and go during the day to visit their children’s class or drop off a forgotten item. It’s still possible to do those things, but not before seeing the person who juggles more than the busiest circus clown—the school secretary. In the wake of school violence in Essex and elsewhere, the school’s entry doors are now locked, requiring visitors to buzz the office before being allowed in. (An editorial error regarding the Essex shootings, as BFA's system was in place already)

That same open-door policy remained into the evening hours as the community came to use the space the students had vacated. From sporting events to club meetings, committee meetings, board meetings, BFA was easily accessible. “I describe this building as a Vermont farmhouse; as the needs arose in the community, it was added onto,” said Tom Walsh, BFA-Fairfax Middle School principal.

“I’m not sure it was ever added onto with a long-term game plan, with the exception of the elementary wing, where the office was placed right near the door.” In 104 years, the building has seen a lot of piecemeal expansion. According to Walsh, a few years ago school officials realized there was a great deal of time spent controlling access. “I think we determined that there is something like 20-25 different ways to get in and out of this building,” he said. A consultant was brought in to help look into ways in which to address the issue. One idea was to move the main office to the lobby area, but remodeling carried a high price tag due to the existing infrastructure; another idea was to secure the building through limited access.

“Ultimately, what we were trying to do between the hours of 8:30 and 2:45, in the hours when the kids were here, we wanted to know who was coming in the building and who was going,” Walsh said. “That was our primary goal.” Faculty, staff, and senior students with privileges have access cards to re-enter in the building. The public must push a buzzer in the lobby to be allowed in. The area is monitored by a camera and the person must state a reason for wanting to enter the school. ‘Not that bad’ “It’s really not that bad at all,” said Carol Stanley, an administrative assistant in the high school who is often the person to allow people in the door. “People are still being let in by students and some adults and that’s a problem, not because of who is let in, but because we don’t have the control we should have.” Stanley also pointed out that the system is working as intended in spite of some of the aforementioned oversights. “We have been able to keep some people out that really didn’t have a reason to be here, except that they have always been able to (enter) in the past,” she said. Administrative assistant Sally Billado also feels positively regarding the security system. “I love it, I think it’s the best thing,” she said. “Having adopted two kids and knowing their parents are out there, I feel comfortable knowing they’re safe. It also cuts down on the vandalism.”

When BFA started the daytime lockdown, making the school safer for the students, the same type of buzzer–access was placed on the elementary entrance, even though the office is near the door. There is no camera system because the secretary can see who is standing there before letting that person in. “I’m not able to leave my office as much,” said Val French, elementary administrative assistant. “I think one of the bonuses is that we don’t have the students in the building, which cuts down on the vandalism and the work the custodians have to do.”

Dark nights In the evenings, an access pass must be obtained and someone must monitor the door until all group members are inside. French said the real test of the new evening lockdown will probably be when the weather turns cold and if people are late and can’t get in. “For me it’s a double edged sword,” said Mike Cain, evening custodian at BFA and active community member. “It does keep the traffic down at night, but as a community member, I’m concerned, because we have a lot of activities coming up and there is no other place in town that the community can use.” Cain pointed out such things as community Christmas concerts, band and chorus rehearsals, community theater rehearsals, various meetings for scouts, AA, etc.

“I really don’t think anyone has a problem shutting the school during the day when students are there, to protect them,” Cain said, “but if you limit the access the community has to the school, I’m afraid there might be a backlash come Town Meeting Day.” Emergency drills Along with the doors being locked, the school started a system of schoolwide response commands, drills to be used in the event of an emergency, especially in an event in which the building needed to be secured; this was mandated by state law. With building evacuation already well-rehearsed and executed, a committee came up with a “clear the halls” drill that has students going into the closest room with a supervised adult after hearing the “clear the halls” command.

Classroom doors are locked and kept open by magnets that will be centrally demagnetized in the main office within 15 seconds after the command. Shades are to be drawn and lights turned off. Students and staff are to stay away from the doors and windows. “We had been putting magnets on the doors for about three years, budgeting 10-15 doors a year,” said Walsh. “When we put in the security system, the company said if we ever wanted to we could tie the doors into the system and we would be able to manually close all the doors. So the system kept presenting opportunities for us that made sense in terms of the logistics in how to keep people safe.”

“Most schools are locked up by 3:15. This is a community center and it’s a wonderful part of this community,” Walsh said, “but it also houses computers and things that we are trying to protect that are the investment of the community.” We had meetings and surveys and everyone had reasons why we should or shouldn’t do it, so I finally said, let’s try it for 60 days and if the feedback is that bad after 60 days then we’ll revisit it. I haven’t heard a ton, but I don’t know what is being said on the outside.” That means it’s up to the residents of Fairfax to decide if this works for them.