I-Team 8: Schools put to the test

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - A decade after Columbine, Indiana schools still struggle with security issues, the best ways to keep our children safe.

When school is in session, every door but the front door is supposed to be locked tight. We discovered just how easy it is for a total stranger to get inside anyway. "We're not a maximum security prison. We don't have security standing at every door,” said Tom Zobel, Principal Shelbyville Community High School.

When we checked security at Shelbyville Community High School using a hidden camera we found a lot of doors locked and one student who decided to let me in.

I asked the student to point me toward the office and he did. We showed our video of the encounter to national school safety expert Chuck Hibbert who says this security breach happens a lot. "All too often," says Hibbert. "And not only Shelbyville but in so many schools across America."

"The young man that let you in the door after I talked to him later. He told me he knew he shouldn't have let you in. He told me that," says Zobel.

He admits it's hard to keep all the students and staff thinking security all the time. "This is such a big facility with so many entry and exit points that unless you have someone standing there by the door every day to make sure no one gets in, it's almost impossible to make sure they don't get in,” says Zobel. "Even if the doors are locked, you've got the physical piece in place, which is excellent however the people piece is not in place," says Hibbert

That's why the Indiana Department of Education now has a dedicated safety director whose job is training and more. "Checking school safety plans of schools, doing spot checks, in much the same way you've been doing," says Dr. Tony Bennett, Indiana's school superintendent.

Some schools have security built in by design. At Whiteland High School, every door is locked except the one leading directly into the main office. Shelbyville adopted that design during a recent renovation.

Zobel demonstrated how the entry works. "You'll find that these doors are locked, so no one can access our building without going right through the main office, the main entry door to the front office, so this is the only unlocked door in the facility. So they have to enter here and check in with the receptionist before they're let in anywhere in the building,” he said.

We watched and it worked. Two men found the doors to the lobby locked before entering the doors of the main office.

Even though nearly every inch of the school inside and out is covered by cameras, we still got in "After you entered the building, I was able to go back and find out how you got in, I was able to identify who let you in. After the fact, it doesn't do it much good, but that is in place," says Zobel.

You can click here for more on the investigation and to learn more about how your school district is spending federal grant money for security.

We are also looking for your feedback. Take pictures or video of security lapses at your child's school and send them to us; or if you want us to check out your neighborhood's school, send us an email. That e-mail address is schoolsafety@wishtv.com .