School back in session, now with increased security

MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) - It’s the first day of school for many elementary schools.

It’s a particularly big day for some Mankato schools that had an extended summer break due to construction ending the last school year early.

“Super Summer is finally over and we are excited to have kids back in the building and just to see all the smiling faces this morning and to see parents, they’re ready for kids to be back in a routine so we are excited to have them,” said Tabatha Miller, principal of Hoover Elementary in North Mankato.

That construction was building new secure entrances on Mankato’s elementary schools.

At Hoover Elementary, there’s a whole new office space alongside the secured entrance.

Parents and visitors will need to go through the front office to get into the building, In a few weeks, the district will add additional screening at the door, requiring an ID scan to even reach the office.

Procedurally not much is changing from how visitors previously entered the building, but now that security is built into the school itself.

“We’re still following the same procedures. So if you want to volunteer or be a part of our schools you need to fill out that volunteer background check and then we also just need to know ahead of time if there’s something that you’re coming in, early appointments to pick up from there,” explained Miller.

The addition of secure entrances has been an ongoing project in the district for several years and all buildings in the district now have secure entrances.

To fund the secure school entrances, Mankato voters in the MAPS district approved a $105 million bond referendum in 2023.

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