NYC Department of Education increases student safety using Detex Door Alarms

February 3, 2016 — More than 22,000 Detex EAX-500 door alarms were installed in about 1,500 New York City elementary schools by the close of 2015. The project fulfills “Avonte’s Law,” which was passed after the death of Avonte Oquendo, an autistic teen who ran unnoticed from his Queens school in 2014. The law prompted the NYC Department of Education (NYCDOE) to evaluate public-school buildings for audible exterior-door alarms on unlocked security doors, changing school security forever.

To increase student safety, the NYCDOE selected Detex’s EAX-500 door alarm to secure all exterior exits in all schools. The product sounds an alarm at 100dB when someone attempts an unauthorized exit, alerting school staff to potential wandering incidents.

The recently completed alarm installation spans all five of the city’s boroughs and includes thirty school districts. Originally scheduled for a three-year timeline, Detex ramped up EAX-500 production, and Maximum Security Group accelerated installation, to complete the project in just ten months.

“As a company that has manufactured life safety and security door hardware for over a century, we are always proud when our products make a substantial difference in the wellbeing of our users, such as these New York City students,” says Ken Kuehler, Director of Marketing and Sales at Detex Corporation, a New Braunfels, TX-based company.

In addition to drawing immediate attention to wandering incidents, the alarms alert security personnel to all unauthorized security door use, preventing unsanctioned entry to school buildings.

Jim Lengyel, President of Maximum Security Group, the Queens-based locksmith company that installed Detex’s alarms, says he has seen them in action: “The alarm works really well. I have observed kids react to it and notice the signs on the door. They turn around and choose the appropriate exit instead.”

After the project’s successful implementation, the Department of Education approached Lengyel to install similar alarms in all of New York City’s Pre-Kindergarten buildings. His company will use a combination of Detex’s EAX-500 door alarms and Detex Value Series panic hardware to secure about 400 Pre-K locations.

“We recommended Detex products for the Pre-K buildings after seeing how well they worked in elementary schools,” explained Lengyel. “Beyond installing alarms, we will be bringing all of these Pre-Kindergarten doors up to current fire code regulations. We’re using Detex’s life safety products to make it happen.”