Northville kicks off school year with new leadership, streamlined security
NORTHVILLE, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Along with a new school year, Northville Public Schools has a new superintendent and a major security upgrade at its schools.
Just two months into the job, Superintendent RJ Webber is optimistic and eager to continue the work that's been done at Northville Public Schools. Webber has an expansive career as an educator around Michigan and as an administrator. Before taking over the top public education role in Northville, Webber served as assistant superintendent of academics in Novi for 12 years.
In his first week as the new superintendent, Webber met with the Supervisor of Northville Township and police and fire chiefs to discuss the needs for the new school year. Officials suggested more emergency key boxes, which a first responder could use to make immediate entry into a school. Webber said there was an idea to streamline that process for all first responders in the event of an emergency.
"With technology, with everything we've learned about how every second's important, I asked the question if we were able to give each one of your officers, or each one of your paramedics, firefighters a key fob like this that would have access to every single exterior door in the Northville Public School District, is that something you would want? And they said absolutely," Webber said.
Key fobs have become common for things like workplaces, gyms, apartments, and more. All it takes is putting the fob close to the card reader -- a "green light" or chime to indicate access, followed by a timed window to make an entry before the system is relocked.
What makes this program unique is that with every police officer having their own personal key fob, responders can make entry within seconds without waiting to be let in or waiting for backup.
"Seconds save lives… and where we can cut time down significantly to get into any place it's a benefit," said Detective Sergeant Matthew MacKenzie with the Northville Township Police Department. MacKenzie says the department puts its officers through solo officer response training. This means when there's any active threat, officers are trained not to wait for other officers or for supervisor approval to make entry into a building to engage an active threat.
"The key fobs provided by NPS enhances that response making it quicker and easier for a solo officer to make entry," MacKenzie explained.
Webber says key fobs have been given to emergency responders in Northville Township, Northville, and Novi if there is a need for mutual aid.
"It is about whoever gets there first – they're going in. So rather than having to wait for someone to open a door because if you think about it, you don't want anybody in the hallways, you don't want an administrator, a teacher, a kid – anywhere out in the open," Webber explained.
Schools can also track each swipe of the fobs to ensure they are being used appropriately.
"When a student gets on a bus or their bike or walks to school, they should be going to such a joyful and happy place – and our job is to keep them as safe as possible," Webber said. "We do this work because we love it. We as a system, and myself personally, are going to stay humble, stay curious, and do everything that we can do to help your child live the life they deserve."
Other metro area school districts like Detroit Public Schools, Livonia Public Schools, and South Lyon Community Schools use similar technology. Many districts have taken steps to improve school security in recent years, implementing key fobs, physical keys with Knox boxes, key card access points, or a combination of devices.
"Livonia Public Schools has a long, demonstrated commitment to student, staff, and school safety. We are grateful for a very strong partnership with our local law enforcement partners and are proud to work shoulder to shoulder with them in our efforts to keep our school community safe and welcoming," Livonia Public Schools Superintendent Andrea Oquist said. LPS uses key card access, which is shared with Livonia Police and Fire, and Westland Police and Fire since some of their schools are located in Westland.
Livonia schools also have secured entrances where visitors must be buzzed in by office staff, with exterior doors locked throughout the school day. Superintendent Steve Archibald for South Lyon Community Schools says his district has given area law enforcement both key fobs and physical keys for all buildings. All district schools are equipped with Knox boxes and door barricade devices as well.
Meanwhile, at Birmingham Public Schools, Superintendent Embekka Roberson says the district has been diligent in developing a comprehensive safety plan, which includes six core pillars:
- Physical Environment and Infrastructure
- Culture, Climate, and Community
- Mental and Behavioral Health
- Law, Policy, and Patterns of Practice
- Operations and Emergency Management
- Ongoing training
"Each of these six pillars supports student safety. The district is partnering with Easter Seals to provide therapeutic mental health services and added a full-time Director of Security. We utilized a third-party provider to conduct a security audit, and as a result, added over 300 hundred new cameras, while developing a district-wide central depository for all information related to school safety. We have systems in place to ensure local law enforcement officers are able to access all of our buildings in the event of an emergency," Roberson said.
