HOUSTON MOM CREATES POPULAR SCHOOL SAFETY DEVICE
A recent order for lock devices was a dream come true for a Houston-area mom who came up with the idea six years ago.
"I got an alert when I was in my office, and I realized I had no clue what my daughter was supposed to do in a lockdown situation," Anna Reger recalled.
Reger developed something called a FlipLok. It's a device that can keep a door shut despite 2,000 pounds of force on the other side.
"I'm being tested for 2,400 locations around the world," Reger explained. "When I started this, I thought, 'Schools, schools, schools.'"
Reger said it was hard to get into schools in her hometown. She spent a year working with the Harris County fire marshal.
With approval, the company has its first large local order.
KATY ISD TRUSTEES APPROVE ADDING DEVICES TO ALL CLASSROOMS
This week, Katy ISD approved $3.8 million for 11,000 FlipLok devices.
"While we have a district policy that requires our doors to be locked during instruction, these FlipLoks give an added layer," Katy ISD police Chief David Rider told trustees.
The district plans to use money from the 2023 bond, which allocated funds to enhance school safety.
"We're putting one of these in every classroom in every school," Katy ISD board President Victor Perez asked during a recent workshop meeting. "Yes, sir," Rider answered. "Our plan is to put in every classroom where attendance is taken and start there."
DOCUMENTS REVEAL KATY ISD APPROVED SPENDING ON SOMETHING THAT COULD'VE BEEN FREE
The approved item shows an invoice with a breakdown of the spending: about $3.7 million is going towards the equipment.
That comes to about $335 apiece. While home FlipLok devices cost less than $100, the company said the school devices are more sophisticated.
Documents also reveal that the district is paying about $1.1 million to have them installed. When ABC13 asked the district about the installation cost, a spokesperson sent the following statement:
"This is primarily a proprietary issue. The district's maintenance & operations staff are not trained to install these specialized devices, whereas there are professional teams specifically trained for this type of installation."
However, the company said staff can be trained, and the invoice shows the district will receive a training video showing how to install the devices.
"If schools want to do that, we absolutely support that," Reger explained. "We want to keep costs down as much as possible. We will help them. I'll even send somebody out to train them at no cost to them."
Reger said it may not just be about training but time. Katy ISD wants the devices installed by the start of next school year. The company said it has a large team that can install the 11,000 devices.
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