RAYMOND — Raymond Central’s buildings are going to receive another layer of protection in the event of an intruder.
The Board of Education at its May 10 meeting approved bids from Tint Revolution to install security film over glass entrance doors at all district facilities. The security film is used to delay glass shattering from gunshots, severe weather and explosions.
“If you shoot a gun at it and it shatters, you still have to go kick to try to get through,” said middle school/high school Assistant Principal Tony Kobza. “The average time is 45 seconds to a minute, which, in an intruder situation, gives you a lot of time.”
The board also approved two bids from Revolution Wrap to install privacy tints on exterior doors. At the high school’s front entrance vestibule, where there is a set of unlocked front doors and a second set of locked doors, the front doors would be outfitted with the privacy film, then the second set of doors would have the security film.
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The security upgrades to the buildings come as the district has been updating its safety protocols with help from the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office and as school shootings have seen an uptick around the country.
In other district news, Superintendent Lynn Johnson told the board that she had begun advertising a position for a licensed mental health practitioner to serve Raymond Central middle schoolers.
“We have some high-need kiddos, and it requires a lot of time and resources,” Johnson said. “We just need someone who’s dedicated and focused just on these subgroups of kids who need a little bit more assistance and teachers who need more assistance with those kids.”
Board Member Mary Benes asked if the needs of the district’s current middle schoolers are abnormal and if they would subside in coming years. Johnson said mental health needs in schools are up throughout the nation and have trended up for several years in a row.
“We just need some additional supports and supports that are really focused on the middle school kid, because the sixth, seventh and eighth grade kid functions differently than the high school kid,” Johnson said.
Johnson did not present any applications for the position to the board, as she had only hoped to bring the new position to the board’s attention.
