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This school has top security

Visitors are stopped at a checkpoint as they enter the school grounds

Human, electronic monitors keep students safer

April 24, 1998
Web posted at: 2:33 p.m. EDT (1833 GMT)

From Correspondent Rick Lockridge

BELEN, New Mexico (CNN) -- Perhaps no security measures could have stopped the recent upsurge in deadly public school shootings in the United States. Still, there's no shortage of innovations to keep students safer. At Belen High School, south of Albuquerque, New Mexico, for example, security measures have cut vandalism and increased peace of mind.

Experts from the nearby Sandia National Labs, where researchers figure out ways to protect nuclear weapons, have worked with Belen staffers to create a three-sided security plan. The elements are high-tech, low-tech and no-tech:

• Teachers, such as track coach Michael Rosales, keep a high profile in the hallways. "The kids know they are in a safe environment and that they do have people around who can help at any given time," he told CNN.

  CNN's Rick Lockridge reports

• Hall monitors such as Rosales are equipped with hand-held, two-way radios that can be used to summon police help instantly.

• Motion detectors are installed at various locations in the school.

• Spray paint is used to label computers as school property to make them unsellable, says Sandia's Mary Green. (  68K/5 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)

• A strict "parent pick-up" policy prevents students from lying to cut class, says principal Ron Marquez. ( 77K/6 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)

  Cameras in the parking lot prevent students from worrying about the safety of their vehicles

• Clear plastic covers installed on top of fire alarms must be removed before the alarm itself can be pulled. The covers, called "screamers," are a loud deterrent to pranksters. ( 43K/3 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)

  False-alarms "are a lot less frequent now -- maybe one a month," says Marquez.

• Video cameras, 16 in all, monitor problem areas of the school, including the "penalty box" for unruly students. But most of the cameras are clustered in the parking lot.

  The reason is not to keep tabs on students but to assure them their cars are safe. Students are a lot less anxious in class if they aren't worried about their vehicles, the principal said. ( 68K/6 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)

   

  Ron Marquez, Belen High School principal, explains video system
  	918K/25 sec./160x120 QuickTime movie

• Student lockers have been bolted shut to keep them from being used to store weapons and drugs. Students have to carry all their books.

• Doors are locked on the outside to keep intruders from walking in.

• School buses arrive on their own protected route.

• Every visitor is stopped at a checkpoint.

Students who initially chafed at the extra security measures now say they feel safer. ( 68/8 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)

While there is no way to offer complete protection, the staff at Belen High says the school's comprehensive security strategy has made a big difference.

Related sites:

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• Sandia National Labs
  • Sandia earns A+ on school security program achievements in Belen
• Belen Schools Webpage

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