Putnam City school district is adding electronic locks, video monitoring to entrances

Hooper said building vestibules at Rollingwood Elementary School was an example of a challenging project. Three classrooms had to be closed, and the school's offices were moved. The classrooms were then rebuilt where the offices were.

Hooper said cost to build the vestibules at the schools that don't currently have them will range from about $120,000 to $500,000 apiece with the Rollingwood project an example of the higher end of that scale. The upgrades are being paid for from a combination of building fund money and bond money.

“When we started putting in the vestibules seven years ago, each time we did one, we learned a better way to do it,” Hooper said.

Stout said the demand has been high for the equipment that will be used in the video and intercom, along with the electronic locking system.

“There are a lot of schools that are looking for ways to upgrade their security,” Stout said. “I think everyone is trying to order it at the same time.”