Board OKs access-control hardware for Early College Academy after safety concerns about open campus

The Gilroy Unified School District board unanimously approved two contracts on Oct. 3 to install electronic access-control hardware at the Dr. TJ Owens Gilroy Early College Academy (GEKA), officials said, citing safety risks at an unfenced, open campus.

Presenters described recent incidents involving non-students on the GEKA campus and said the site lacks perimeter fencing because it is embedded within a college campus. ‘‘Gavlin will not allow perimeter fencing, and GEKA is an open campus with portable classrooms and multiple access points,’’ a district security presenter told trustees. The board approved contract item 10A (installation of hardware at GEKA) not to exceed $44,000 and the companion item 10B; both motions passed unanimously.

Maribel Gazar, the district IT director, explained the access-control approach: staff will receive electronic ID cards and the district will issue a limited number of student pass cards for restroom or wellness-center access. Cards can be activated or deactivated remotely, reducing instructional disruption and allowing controlled entry to classrooms without teachers leaving instruction to open doors.

Trustees asked logistical questions about student restroom passes, how many cards would be issued, whether bathrooms would be card-keyed (they would not), and the installation timeline. Presenters estimated the work would take several weeks once scheduled.

The action implements an operational safety change at GEKA; it does not create perimeter fencing or change the college-district relationship. District staff said they will report on implementation timing to the board.