Baltimore teachers will be able to lock classroom doors from inside rooms instead of the outside, said Baltimore City Public Schools CEO Sonja Santelises Tuesday night, announcing plans to install new locks on thousands of classroom doors and office spaces.

“We heard from teachers, we heard from the BTU [Baltimore Teachers Union], we’ve heard from school leaders, and we know the security of school staff and students is really our priority,” said Santelises during a school board meeting.

Most doors in the city, according to the CEO, require staff to step out into the hallway to lock the door from the outside. That’s a security risk, she said. Staff had voiced concerns about this at previous meetings.

Now, 7,600 classroom doors and “critical” office spaces will have new intruder locks that will allow staff to lock the door from inside the classroom, which minimizes exposure to potential intruders, she said.

It’s a big project that will cost close to $50 million, Santelises said. Most installments will include replacing doors and door frames. High schools will be the first priority since data shows those buildings experience the most security incidents, she said.

Since the project has a big price tag, funds for existing projects will have to be reprioritized, according to Santelises. City schools didn’t immediately respond to a question on when lock installations will begin.

Security updates have been top of mind for school staff, parents and students, especially after 15-year-old Warren Curtis Grant was fatally shot Sept. 6 at Joppatowne High School in Harford County. That school has since installed new lockers so students aren’t carrying around backpacks.

Baltimore County has installed an artificial intelligence weapons detection system in all schools and started preliminary discussions with principals about a clear backpack policy. Baltimore City also uses an AI system, called Evolv, to identify possible weapons. It detected some of the 20 guns found on campuses last school year.

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