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Small investment could make big difference in school safety

A previous version of the story said Schaumburg District 54 used the magnets, they do not.

Several suburban schools are making a small investment that could make a big difference in terms of school safety.

Schools in Palatine Township Elementary District 15 and Arlington Heights Elementary District 25 are installing magnets on every classroom door this year - ones that could save time and lives in an emergency.

Every classroom and interior door will be locked from now on, but a magnet will be placed on the door frame that stops the locking mechanism from engaging, said District 25 Superintendent Lori Bein.

That means students and teachers will be able to go in and out of their rooms without looking for keys. But, it also means that in the case of a lockdown or dangerous situation, teachers can quickly pull the magnet from the door frame and the door will instantly be locked.

"Otherwise we would have teachers having to find their keys and go out in the hallway to lock the door from the outside," Bein said. "But during an emergency it might not be safe for them to be out there."

The magnet is an inexpensive way - about 65 cents per piece for 500 magnets in District 25 - to add a layer of school safety, Bein said.

"Our exterior doors are always locked, but we wanted a secondary layer should someone be able to enter the building in some way," she said.

District 15 discussed the idea with school principals and police from Hoffman Estates, Palatine and Rolling Meadows, said Deputy Superintendent Matt Barbini.

Local fire departments and the state fire marshal's office signed off, after making sure magnets didn't violate any fire evacuation safety codes.

"Seconds matter in these situations, and this is going to save those seconds," Barbini said.

Principal Jason Dietz said his teachers at Walter Sundling Jr. High in Palatine were trained on the new procedure last week and will practice during lockdown drills all year.

Dietz said teachers were constantly locking and unlocking their doors, or keeping them propped open to accommodate the normal flow of students.

"Our objective is to keep our teachers and our kids safe," he said. "(Now) we are able to secure the doors much quicker and have (teachers) locked with the students inside if need be," Dietz said.

Lockdown Magnets, a similar product sold by New Jersey-based Master Grinding & Security LLC., have placed more than 25,000 magnets in 38 states including Illinois.

Officials like the magnets, but everyone hopes they'll never have to use them.

"Keeping our children and our staff safe is always our No. 1 concern," Bein said. "It's better to have the serious, honest conversations, than to avoid it and think nothing could ever happen.

"We would always rather be cautious and extra prepared."

  Walter Sundling Principal Jason Dietz demonstrates how a magnet helps quickly lock a classroom down in an emergency. Bob Chwedyk/bchwedyk@dailyherald.com
  School principal Jason Dietz demonstrates magnets in the classroom doors to increase classroom safety at Walter Sundling Jr. High in Palatine. Bob Chwedyk/bchwedyk@dailyherald.com
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