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New Urgency For Security Measures Planned At Lafayette Schools

LAFAYETTE (KCBS) - Lafayette schools have begun installing new locks on all classroom doors in the district an effort to protect students from a tragedy like the deadly shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Locks that allow teachers to lock classrooms from inside are one of several safety measures that took on a new urgency after the Connecticut tragedy, said Superintendent Fred Brill.

"It was an idea that came from the teachers, and this has been a year where we've really spent quite a bit of time looking at the steps we can take to keep our kids and our teachers safer," he said.

KCBS' Anna Duckworth Reports:

New Urgency For Security Measures Planned At Lafayette Schools

Brill said it would take about two months to put new locks on all the classroom doors at the Lafayette School District's four elementary schools and two middle schools. A deferred maintenance fund will cover the $60,000 cost.

Several Bay Area school districts have installed safety locks in the last few years.

Officials from the California Department of Emergency Management have been visiting school districts throughout the state to recommend improvements in their emergency plans.

Brill said Lafayette had already been planning to put in more security cameras before Newtown prompted everyone to re-think school safety.

"We did install security cameras at two of our schools, and the board did authorize the purchase of surveillance cameras at the remaining three schools," he said.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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