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New Haven Superintendent of Schools Iline Tracey

New Haven Board of Education member Darnell Goldson

NEW HAVEN — A number of doors in city schools do not lock properly, according to information provided by the superintendent to Board of Education members, and at least one school board member is taking issue with the building maintenance process.

In an email exchange obtained by the Register, Superintendent of Schools Iline Tracey informed the Board of Education Friday afternoon that doors to some schools do not close properly.

“All of our schools have a buzz in system. However, we have learned that in a few places, if certain doors are yanked hard enough they can be opened. Most of the schools have a double door entry system — an outer and inner door before one can gain access in the front,” Tracey told board members in the email.

Tracey wrote that Chief Operating Officer Thomas Lamb would collaborate with city officials to expedite the process to fix the problem, using capital funds instead of putting replacement doors out to bid.

“This is going to be costly, but safety remains a high priority,” Tracey wrote.

Board member Darnell Goldson expressed disappointment that building maintenance in the school district is too often “reactive instead of proactive.”

“It is frustrating to think that after hours of discussion around security issues several years ago, and with us being assured that entry points were our front line of defense and all was well, now we are hearing that doors don’t even work,” he said.

Tracey denied that the district’s maintenance is reactive, but said that “the shootings” increased the district’s urgency — alluding to the May 24 mass shooting in a Texas elementary school with at least 21 fatalities.

Goldson said he believes the district should bid once per year on a contractor — similar to the district’s snow removal contract — to handle maintenance issues such as door replacement instead of waiting until a number of doors are weakened or broken to bid them out.

“Repairing broken doors is a high priority for us. Our goal is to fix them so that the fix lasts. In some cases that means replacing not just a lock or an access control mechanism, but the entire door, with frame and hardware,” said district spokesman Justin Harmon in an emailed statement.

Harmon said one of the district’s considerations for expediting the maintenance process is the suggestion Goldson made.

“We are looking for ways to expedite the process of checking the more than 2000 doors at New Haven schools, assessing the need for repair, and getting repairs done. One way we are trying to do that is by engaging a single contractor who can handle repairs of any size. Additionally, we have contracts currently in place for locksmith services and access control systems maintenance. We bid for full-year service contracts where possible, versus bidding individual projects,” he said.

Brian covers all things West Haven. He has worked for the Register since September 2015 where he has spent most of his time writing about schools and education.