11/21/2025
Baltimore’s fight to protect its students and educators took a major step forward this week as City Council President Zeke Cohen and the Baltimore Teachers Union renewed their call for intruder-resistant locks in every Baltimore City classroom. The push comes during a nationwide rise in school shootings and a growing urgency for real, structural safety measures inside public schools.
For years, Baltimore City Public Schools has been one of the few large school districts in America without consistent, inside-locking classroom doors. According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics, over 75% of U.S. public schools already had interior-locking classrooms during the 2021–2022 school year. Baltimore remains behind.
A Partial Plan Moves Forward
Earlier this year, City Schools announced plans to install upgraded locks in select high schools, using federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds. However, when federal funding cuts were projected, the project stalled.
Now, with funds restored, City Schools is officially moving forward with Phase I of its Security Hardware Initiative — covering 18 high schools across 14 buildings. This first phase includes new locks, upgraded door frames, and improved security hardware.
Council President Zeke Cohen and BTU President Diamonté Brown praised the move, crediting CEO Dr. Sonja Santelises for prioritizing student safety even in the face of financial challenges. But both leaders stressed the same point: This can’t stop at Phase I. Baltimore needs locks in every classroom — not just high schools.
What Baltimore Leaders Are Saying
Council President Zeke Cohen:
“Every child and every educator in Baltimore deserves a safe, secure learning environment… Every young person and every educator in Baltimore deserves a classroom door that can lock from the inside. We must extend these protections to all schools, without delay.”
Cohen’s perspective hits home — not only as an elected official, but as a father of two public school students and a former classroom teacher. His message is clear: the technology already exists, other districts already use it, and Baltimore students deserve the same level of protection.
BTU President Diamonté Brown:
“Our goal is to ensure that all schools have classroom doors that lock from the inside. We will continue to fight for the safety of our students and staff.”
The Baltimore Teachers Union has been raising this issue for years, organizing educators and pushing district leadership to take action.
Phase I Schools Receiving Upgrades
Academy for College and Career Exploration
Augusta Fells Savage Institute of Visual Arts
Bard High School Early College
ConneXions: A Community-Based Arts School
National Academy Foundation
Vivien T. Thomas Medical Arts Academy
Benjamin Franklin High School
Edmondson-Westside High School
Northwestern Building
Reginald F. Lewis; Success Academy; Achievement Academy
Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School
Excel Academy
Lawrence E. Dunbar High School
Baltimore School for the Arts
Digital Harbor High School
Carver Vocational-Technical High School
Why This Matters
Students and teachers shouldn’t have to rely on makeshift solutions during an emergency. A locked classroom door is one of the most proven tools for slowing or stopping an intruder. That’s why districts across the country have moved quickly to standardize interior-locking door mechanisms.
Baltimore should be no different.
Phase I is a strong beginning — but it’s only a beginning. With restored funding, strong leadership, and continued advocacy from teachers, parents, and city officials, there is a real opportunity to bring Baltimore’s classrooms up to modern safety standards.
This is about more than hardware.
It’s about peace of mind.
It’s about urgency.
And it’s about protecting our kids.
