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Norwalk Schools To Number Building Doors For Safety

NORWALK, Conn. – Exterior doors at all Norwalk schools will be numbered to assist students, educators and crisis personnel in the case of an emergency, under a new recommendation by the Norwalk Public Schools Emergency Planning Committee.

The plan calls for exterior doors to be sequentially marked, “beginning with the main public entrance and proceeding in a clockwise direction around the school.” The identifying numbers will be placed at the top right of each exterior door, starting with the main office entrance as Number 1.

The numbers will quickly identify the location of an emergency situation, and the move is the first of many the planning committee is studying to make Norwalk schools safer.

“As we proceed with improvements to the overall emergency planning process, it makes sense to quickly implement best-practice courses of action,” said interim Schools Superintendent Tony Daddona in a statement. “We will continue to execute tactical initiatives even as we look to improve the overall strategic plans for the school district.”

The district has preliminarily requested $100,000 in next year’s school spending plan for safety efforts following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, but Daddona said Thursday night at a public hearing on the budget that the request will not be enough.

“After we assess the situation, we know we’ll have to make adjustments,” said Daddona. “We know we may be underfunded because the $100,000 won’t do it. We anticipate we will have to come back for additional funding.”

Interior doors to rooms with exterior doors will carry the same number, but the interior numbers will be placed near the floor to assure emergency responders will be able to see them in smoky conditions.

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