Are you happy with the security measures at your Dc's school?

[infomama]

I'm not.

1) Dd1's name (First inital, last name) is taped to the front window of the school and notes her teachers name and that she is in morning class. It has been up for at least a week.
2) When DH when to pick her up from her first day he signed a paper and that was it. They didn't check his ID or cross check our paperwork to see if DH was authorized...nothing.

Buzzing people into the school is all fine and dandy but it seems to me like the ball is being dropped once the person in into the school. I am going to call tomorrow and ask them to take down the class list or at least black out Dd1's name if they insist on keeping it taped to the window for all to see. I am also going to request that if Dd1 is picked up from school that the persons ID is checked and verified against our authorized list. I don't think this is too much to ask to keep her safer at school.

Thoughts?

[newg]

At the school I worked at parent's were not allowed back to pick kids up.....they had to wait in the office/waiting area that was seperated from the rest of the school by doors....you had to be buzzed into the rest of the school by someone in the office....

Letting parents (or whomever) into the building (unless they are volunteering or something during the day) makes me nervous too......if someone was volunteering during the day they wore a badge that identified them as such...all personel wore id badges as well...........
I would call your school and voice your concerns....

[TwinFoxes]

I don't have any specific thoughts about your situation, but I heard something interesting in th coverage of Jaycee Dugard. 58,000 kids are abducted each year, most aren't by strangers. Fewer than 130 are kept overnight, of those 2/3 are eventually found alive. I knew that stranger abductions were rare, but hearing those numbers were comforting to me.

I think you should do what makes you feel comfortable. But the actual numbers are in your DDs favor. Like I said, they were a comfort to me.

[hillview]

The names on a sheet wouldn't really bother me. The kids cubbies are posted with first names. The school DOES know us. We were at orientation so they met us. We DO have to sign a sheet of other folks who will do pick ups. EG grandparents etc. There is a buzzer at the front door but they pretty much let everyone in and then get a visual once you are in.

I think if I had an ex who was a risk or something like that I might be more concerned.
/hillary

[SnuggleBuggles]

The names on a sheet wouldn't really bother me. The kids cubbies are posted with first names. The school DOES know us. We were at orientation so they met us. We DO have to sign a sheet of other folks who will do pick ups. EG grandparents etc. There is a buzzer at the front door but they pretty much let everyone in and then get a visual once you are in.

I think if I had an ex who was a risk or something like that I might be more concerned.
/hillary

:yeahthat:

Our school is a pretty tight knit community and the office staff knows the parents and who their kids are for the most part. When in doubt they do ask for ID. Everyone needs to sign in and get a pass.

Beth

[maestramommy]

Dora's preschool is at a church. Only I would be dropping her off and picking her up. If for some reason Dh wanted to pick her up, Dora would recognize him. I don't know what measures they have if someone else showed up. Not that it's ever likely in our case. The classes are small and few so adults coming and going would be known to the teachers.

[bubbaray]

From what I know, yes. I mean, I was questioned by three people the day I registered her!

Her school is moving to a brand new facility some time this school year (March? Frickety frackety 'earth friendly" geothermal heating is delaying things). The security is even tighter at the new school AFAIK.

ETA: security at their daycare is through double coded doors.

[infomama]

Dora's preschool is at a church. Only I would be dropping her off and picking her up. If for some reason Dh wanted to pick her up, Dora would recognize him. I don't know what measures they have if someone else showed up. Not that it's ever likely in our case. The classes are small and few so adults coming and going would be known to the teachers.
We had the same environment for Dd1's preschool and although it was a very small community, the doors were coded and until the teachers got to know my mom (the only other person who picked her up) they checked her ID. She was not offended in the least.

[gatorsmom]

Yes, I"m happy. There is a separate door into the preschool and benches in the hall for parents to sit and chat while waiting for their kids to come out. And even though the door is open to the public for 10 minutes before their class gets out, they do a good job of getting the parents familiar with each other and each others' children. The teacher won't let a child out of the classroom unless she sees the parent in the hall. And frankly, the parents know the other parents so well that I doubt we'd let a child go home with an unknown without mentioning it to the teacher.

However, I would not be happy about having my children's names in the window. It sounds like this is the window facing to the outside world. If this were a window ina doorway facing out to the hallway of the school, then I wouldn't mind so much.