Schools in Revere will be Massachusetts' first to install new a new locking system on classroom doors to keep students safe in the event of an active shooter situation.
The district is spending about $200,000 on a Flip Lok system. By the end of next week, the doors of all classrooms and other gathering rooms will be fitted with new locks that can be easily engaged.
The aim is to keep students safe in the case of an emergency without the need to stack desks and chairs or search for keys.
"It does add that extra security of providing about 10 times the amount of resistance on the door to be open, so it would take a little of time to be able to get one of these doors open, if even," Mayor Patrick Keefe Jr. said.
For security reasons, school and police officials could not go into too much detail, but told NBC10 Boston that emergency officials have "an unlocking mechanism" after the scene is cleared for students and teachers to leave their classrooms.
