Lodi Unified School District in California recently announced it would be upgrading several of the locksets on school buildings in an effort to increase physical security. The need to deploy new locks came from problems, including parts sticking and failed latches, that began to crop up shortly after the original hardware was installed, according to a report by SecurityInfoWatch.

"It was frustrating thinking that I was going to be working with these locksets for upwards of 10 years, when things were failing so quickly after installation," LodiUSD locksmith Jason Glissman said, according to the news source. "Sure, the locks were under warranty but there's no compensation for my time spent trying to fix and then replace these things."

The process of implementing a new lock system is not an overnight procedure, however, as LodiUSD spans 350 square miles and includes multiple regular and continuation high schools, as well as seven middle and 34 elementary schools and the district headquarters, SecurityInfoWatch noted. Since each facility has dozens of classrooms and exterior locks that need to be replaced, the number of installations will extend into the thousands.

"As the guy who maintains these things, it’s much smarter for me to spend more money purchasing top-quality locks up front than to have to purchase replacement parts for failed parts down the road," Glissman said, according to SecurityInfoWatch.

Another innovative form of physical locking mechanisms comes in the form of advanced access controls systems that use biometrics and innovative personal identity verification ID cards. These security tools are being installed at schools around the country as administrators continue to demand next-generation technologies to keep out intruders, vandals and other unauthorized or malicious individuals.