On Target articles report on the progress of the 2017 Strategic Plan. This article focuses on Strategic Imperative #2 - Campus Safety and Facilities Development.

Student safety is a top priority at Annunciation Orthodox School. With the opening of our new Lower School Building and the charge of our current strategic plan, we spent the last few years increasing the safety and security of our campus. From refined emergency drills and alarms to the installation of almost 200 security cameras, the improved measures have not only been comprehensive but vast in nature. The areas of improvement were carefully detailed following the completion of a security audit. While we have now addressed all of the recommended areas within the audit, we know that technical elements and safety procedures are always evolving. We are committed to monitoring those developments so as to continue to provide a safe and secure school environment for all our community
members.

This article details many of the security improvements in three categories: Door Access and Locks, Alarms and Alerts, and Security Cameras and Lighting.

DOOR ACCESS AND LOCKS

• The entire campus now operates on one electronic door access system, eliminating the need for door keys. We can now assign appropriate access permissions to each employee.
• Doors in both entrance foyers are programmed with an electronic door access system that requires visitors to be buzzed into the interior of the campus.
• The field gate by the Arts Center now possesses panic hardware which allows people to exit campus in the case of an emergency.
• The exterior-facing glass within the lobby foyers and lower school offices now contains a security film which provides additional defense against break-ins.
• Classroom doors are now equipped with new locking mechanisms which allow teachers to manually lock their doors in the case of an emergency.

ALARMS AND ALERTS

• The roof of the Glassell Main Building now houses a lightning detection horn. The horn sounds when there is lightning in the area as an indication for people outside to come inside. The system then sends an all-clear signal when it is safe to return outside. The same system also sends an email alert to everybody on campus. Additionally, all coaches receive alerts via text message for both the AOS campus and McGovern Park.
• Our exterior spaces now contain fire alarm annunciators to alert people on the Moss Family Olympic Field or lower school playground if a fire alarm goes off in one of the buildings.
• We created automated procedures for any event that might require the lockdown of the school. With the push of a panic button by any faculty or staff member, all doors will automatically lock, and an automated message will announce over the intercom that a lockdown is in place. The automated locking of the doors is designed to keep people from entering classrooms while still allowing people within the classroom the ability to exit.

SECURITY CAMERAS AND LIGHTING

• Public areas in the interior of the buildings and parking lots now contain security cameras. We now have almost 200 security cameras on and around campus.
• To improve outside lighting, the perimeters of both the Steve G. Caloudas Activity Center and the lower school playground are now equipped with floodlights.

This article was originally published in the Fall 2019 issue of The Delphian.