Over winter break, Allderdice installed a new controlled access vestibule at the school's main entrance. The vestibule aims to increase overall school safety.  According to Allderdice principal Dr. McCoy, there have been discussions about adding this for a while now, and it has finally come to fruition.

Before the vestibule’s construction, people entering the school tardy would be buzzed into the school from the security office. Once buzzed in, the person could enter the school immediately, and a security guard would meet them. The problem is that once someone enters the school, they have free range before security can talk to them. As Dr. McCoy put it, people could enter the school before security could react. This posed a threat to school safety.

Dr. McCoy reassured that the school was safe before the vestibule was installed, but now it is even safer. The vestibule also makes the job easier for security. School safety is critical for every school, and having an extra layer of protection at Allderdice is nice. Dr. McCoy hopes that the school will do even more with this vestibule down the road and may be able to use it to check IDs before someone enters the building.

The funding for this project did not come out of Allderdice’s budget. Instead, the school got the money “through the district,” Dr. McCoy said, “this is something we went through facilities to get done.” The school succeeded in getting the funding from the district, meaning Allderdice did not spend any money, and their budget was not affected. 

This new vestibule will not slow down bag checks in the morning. Answering the question on every student’s mind, Dr. McCoy thinks that the vestibule “might slow [the bag check] down a little bit, but not dramatically.” Before, there were one or two people checking bags where the vestibule is now; usually, one Dr.McCoy noted, and since the vestibule opened, they have added one more bag checker. In the grand scheme, bag check is relatively the same as before. 

Dr. McCoy said the school will shift from the standard entrance procedures to the vestibule around the second half of the first period. Once they activate the vestibule, students and visitors can only enter through it. Additionally, school staff will be able to sit in it. Dr. McCoy added that staffing the vestibule makes the entrance safer and allows for “keeping that area clear."

The vestibule is not quite finished, as some electrical components are missing. However, thanks to the vestibule, the school is even safer now.