Ohio teacher spearheads drive to get door barricades for every classroom
INDIAN LAKE, Ohio — A Logan County middle school teacher said she was “petrified” when news broke about the shootings last week. Jana Core initiated an effort in her district to purchase and install Nightlock Lockdown Door Barricades for every classroom in Indian Lake, Ohio this fall. Businesses including Honda contributed more than $13,000. Each barricade cost about $59. The district’s maintenance staff installed the devices.
“It’s basic. It’s simple. Easy to employ. And anyone can do it,” said Core.
The metal barricades can be placed on a conventional door to keep an intruder from gaining entry to the classroom. Core said all students need to do is stay hidden until help comes.
“That is what the locks are for. To give law enforcement time to get here,” Core said.
The district said the State Fire Marshal’s office has signed off on the devices.
“While they are here, I guess they are my kids. Their parents have trusted them to come to school to be safe, if they are in my room, they are mine. I have to do whatever I can to make sure they go home to their parents,” said Core.
Core is married to Washington Township Police Chief Rick Core.
“There needs to be an increased dialogue on how we are going to deal with that (school shootings) as a country. As the police chief of the district, of course, I am always fearful of events like we just saw in Florida taking place here. I have no doubt these devices are a lifesaver,” said Chief Core.
Superintendent Rob Underwood said Jana Core went above and beyond what is traditionally expected of a teacher to get the backing of the community behind the project.
“But that is something we see every day here and it is so exciting and makes me proud to be a part of this district,” said Underwood.
Underwood said the district has had ALICE security training and just last week did some training around mental health issues.
Underwood said the barricades are just part of a multi-faceted approach to keeping the campus safe. “Time is everything. And we certainly don’t want to put teachers in harm’s way, but we also know that with a device like this, we can barricade that door in seconds.”
A gunman opened fire in the nearby West Liberty District last January seriously injuring a 16-year-old student. Core, who has family in the district said West Liberty now has the same barricades as Indian Lake after they were provided information and research on the devices.
Core said, “it’s not a matter of when another one is going to happen. But where. And the where can be your own back door, you just never know anymore.”
