PCSS To Add More Secure Entrance Vestibules At CHS, Park View, Burks

Putnam County Schools will implement more secure entrances at Cookeville High School, Park View Elementary, and Burks Elementary.

Director of Schools Corby King said this was possible through funding from a security grant. He said the system will construct additional security vestibules as people enter the building.

“They add a space so that it forces visitors when you come onto campus, you have to go into the office, it keeps you from just having access to move freely throughout the building once you come through the door,” King said. “And these vestibules will push visitors into the main office before they can gain access to the building.”

King said this is in addition to what has already been completed specifically at Cookeville High School, where they have a secure entrance for the front door. He said this will create a security vestibule where students enter.

King said students who come in and out of the building all day due to dual enrollment or work-based learning will now enter through a secure entrance as well. He said these entrances are a result of going through security needs at all of the schools to get them up to date.

“The security team does threat assessments annually,” King said. “Then we have a committee that reviews the amount of money we get and prioritizes needs. The CERT admin committee that we talk about often is a big part of that. And then we have a group here but we take the prioritized needs, look at the funds available, and tackle as much as we can.”