Homeland Security checking Topeka schools
7:09 p.m. Wednesday, September 12, 2007
It’s a frightening thought: A stranger walks in off the street and right into a school.
It’s something Topeka schools admit could happen. So, they’ve asked for some high-profile help to make schools safer.
The Kansas Department of Homeland Security will soon make their rounds and decide the best way to keep strangers out of all Topeka schools.
Quincy Elementary School had its entrance modified over the summer. Now, anyone entering the school must be buzzed in by office staff.
“It does make you feel comfortable and it’s sad that we have to go that route, but that’s where we are in this day and age,” principal Neely Gower said.
But, not all schools have that luxury. Homeland security investigators will be faced with a challenge at Topeka West High School, where there are so many different buildings on campus, there’s no good way to funnel everyone through the main office.
The district will spend more than $500,000 securing all the schools.
Topeka could set the standard. More schools may request help now, a homeland security spokesperson said.
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