No locks on classroom doors?

[The Backlash Cometh]

One of the VT students, who was quick on his feet, thought to block the door as he heard the gunman coming down the hall. He and another student blocked the door with two tables, but needed to push the tables against the door to keep the door closed. The shooter managed to open the door six inches, but the two VT students pushed back to close the gap. The gunman shot at the door twice, then they heard the gunman unload, then reload, then continue down the hall.

So, why did the students have to use their bodies to keep the door closed? Why didn't the door lock from inside?

[lectrobyte]

1. The doors didn't have locks. Not that uncommon in public or even

private buildings these days.

[Nederland]

2. Fire Hazard

Locks on doors in public spaces are considered fire hazards. They could jam and prevent a person from escaping during a fire, which is statistically a much more likely event than what happened yesterday.

[hobbit709]

3. Locks work both ways

You can't get out either.

[Tesha]

4. Not if they're "Panic proof"; competent locks are. (NT)

[hobbit709]

9. Know what happens

when 30+ people try to get out the door at the same time and it won't open. It's only funny in 3 stooges movies. You have to have a little space and the crush may not give you that to unlock it.

[Tesha]

10. Do you understand what "panic proof" means?

"Panic proof hardware" is a well-defined technical
term that means that the door cannot obstruct your
attempt to exit, even if you're panicing. What it
typically means is that even if you've "locked"
the door, the lock will release when you turn the
knob/press the operating lever/hit the panic bar/
whatever.

That is, the fact that the door was locked from the
inside is OF NO IMPACT AT ALL to how you
get out the door.

Approved commercial exit doors are essentially
always panic-proof. So are most lockable restroom
doors. It's extremely common (and probably always
required) in commercial construction albeit not
so common in residential construction.

Tesha

[hobbit709]

19. It's impossible to make things foolproof

because fools are so damn ingenious. That's a principle I learned over the years. Just when you think something couldn't possibly happen, some idiot will enlarge my view of the possible.

[JVS]

21. in the case of these doors, it's quite simple actually.

In my office we have a door that locks, but only the side of the door in the hallway is effected. This is the default setting. To open the door from the hall you need a key, or you need to have switched off the locking feature from the inside so that you can come and go at will. It is impossible to lock yourself in, but easy to lock yourself out.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

5. If the doors could be locked from the inside ...

... think of the mischief the students could get into.

Plus, there's generally nothing to steal, so why protect a classroom?

[tech3149]

6. All the schools I've worked in only had key locks n/t

[gravity]

12. That's a good point

That will probably change after this incident however

[proud2BlibKansan]

16. Same here

It's a fire code violation here to have push button or dead bolt locks on inside doors.

[Critters2]

7. I thought of this yesterday.

I don't think the classrooms at my university had locks. I was a TA, and I never locked my classroom, nor ever had a key to unlock it if I were to find it locked. And I think that's because it couldn't be locked. Which makes sense, because there was nothing in it but student desks, a lectern, a table and the blackboards.

[BlooInBloo]

8. I don't recall there being locks on typical interior doors in the class bldgs of 50+ univs I've seen

[SmokingJacket]

18. Hm, I remember not getting into classrooms quite often because

they were locked. We'd sit in the hall until the professor showed up. I also remember teachers locking doors to keep out latecomers during speakers or exams.

That was as a student. As an instructor, I don't remember being issued keys for classrooms. Different schools, of course.

[Reverend_Smitty]

11. The classrooms that I remember did lock...

but you could only lock them with a key from the outside, because why would you need to lock the door from the inside

[Kerrytravelers]

13. My university didn't have locks because students could use the rooms to study 24-7.

Not all buildings, mind you. Once a building was closed, the main doors to the outside were locked. If a building was still open, a security guard or two was around and all the classroom doors were unlocked so students could use them.

[Marrah_G]

14. In my town the schools all have locking doors

They have codes and drills for different types of incidents such as fire, sniper, intruder and bomb. If there is an intruder they lock the doors and special cardboard goes up over the window part and they move to a safe area, if a sniper the blinds are drawn, doors are locked and they move away from the windows and under the table/desks, if it is a bomb the teacher will open every door and drawer she has been in that day and then they exit the building. Fire they just exit the building.

[eppur_se_muova]

15. Maybe it just wasn't obvious how to lock it. There are many doors that require...

you to flip a lever or press a button on the EDGE of the door, just below the bolt. These are common in labs and other shared work areas where the last person to leave may need to lock the door, but doesn't necessarily have the keys.

[undeterred]

17. I wondered about that too.

It seems to me at the Columbine High School incident kids and teachers were hiding in closets and places other than classrooms because those were the only places that did lock.

[Ignacio Upton]

20. Not uncommon

Some of the classrooms at my school don't have them either.