I-Team 8: Schools put to the test - Part 2

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - To keep kids safe from intruders, most school doors are supposed to stay locked. But I-Team 8 found out, that's not always the case.

We tested schools all around Central Indiana and found a lot of open doors which is an open invitation for trouble. “I think the parents who come to our school on a regular basis know how serious we are about making sure we know who's coming in and out of our building,” said Kyle Barrentine, principal of Noblesville Middle School.

“So it's important that the doors remain locked and that only people who are supposed to be in here are in here,” Barrentine added.

Then why was a door to Noblesville Middle School propped open during the school day? And why was I-Team 8 allowed to wander around inside? “It's really difficult for me to speculate because obviously this is the first time I've seen the video and until your phone call wasn't even aware that this took place,” Barrentine said.

He also adds its school policy that anyone coming through the front door checks in at the principal's office. “It's not uncommon to meet people who walk in and they miss the office and we have to, if an adult encounters them we say, can I help you and we just direct them to the office and sign in,” said Barrentine.

When I-Team 8 walked in the front doors at Greenwood High School, a receptionist buzzed us in, but we didn't stop at the office. We heard the band practicing. We even asked a student to direct me to the office. We watched students working in the auditorium.

Our stroll through the school lasted four full minutes. Later school officials told us that security had been notified. We were even told we’d be able to see our jaunt on surveillance video when we came back later for a promised on camera interview. But school officials reneged on that promise and turned down the interview. We'd hoped to discuss the security fundamentals so often preached by educators.

“The fundamentals are really clearly; point of access, having diligent professionals who watch with vigilance the comings and goings of adults and students,” said state school superintendent Dr. Tony Bennett. “And having a good system where we check in visitors,” he added.

Still, time after time, in school after school, we found open door after open door. It’s an open invitation to bad things happening.

Nationally known school safety expert Chuck Hibbert of Indianapolis says vigilance is important. “So we've got to do a better job of recognizing that first of all these events can happen to us,” says Hibbert. “These little things are so critical,” he added.

Click here for more on the investigation and to learn more about how your school district is spending federal grant money for security. We'll also have bonus video of other security breaches we found.

We’ll be here on Daybreak at this same time, all week long. Wednesday, we’ll visit Belzer Middle School in Lawrence where we were able to walk through an open door into a locker room after a gym class.

We're asking you to 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, drop us an email at schoolsafety@wishtv.com .