Especially in this day and age, it’s all about safety. Coppell ISD’s safety and security committee decided to install video doorbells across campuses during the 2020-21 school year. The video doorbell at Coppell High School was installed in late November and is located near the back doors exiting the Small Commons. 

The new safety measure was piloted at three different CISD campuses: Victory Place @ Coppell, Pinkerton Elementary and the Roy C. Brock Center.

“At those three buildings, we [tested] the [doorbell’s] software and hardware and talked to our administrative staff at the front offices,” CISD coordinator of safety and security Rachael Freeman said. “All of them supported [using these doorbells]. If you go to any other school district in the North Texas area, they will have something very similar to a video doorbell. [The video doorbells] keep the campuses as secure as possible.” 

The update comes with changes for parents and other visitors. Visitors are asked to state their purpose for entering the campus before being let in by the receptionist or secretary monitoring the doorbell’s live footage.

“Through the doorbell, [the front office staff] can auditorily hear the purpose of the visitor’s entry to the building,” CHS9 receptionist Bertha Moehlis said. “More than likely, it’s a parent picking up a child for an appointment.” 

According to CHS receptionist Julie Wilson, prior to the installation of the doorbell, deliveries and parents could enter through the back doors and arrive at the front office without receiving authorization from campus staff to enter the building.

Since the installation of the video doorbell at CHS, unidentified visitors have been prevented from entering through the campus’s back doors and wandering the building. Wilson can also direct visitors to their destination and keep them from getting lost inside the school.

“I can communicate with whoever rings [the doorbell] and use [the system] as a phone call with their video playing on my screen,” Wilson said. “[Entry] depends on where they are, where they’re going and what they need.”

Around 12 people ring the CHS doorbell each day, mainly during morning school hours. Most of the rings come from students coming in from athletics.

Currently, all 21 buildings in the district have video doorbells installed on their campuses.

“We can now keep a better eye on the safety of our staff and students,” Wilson said. “Especially in this day and age, it’s all about safety.”

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