Frosted glass and motorized blinds will be installed at New Westminster Secondary School to help address privacy and safety concerns around glass-walled classrooms.
The new measures will cost $55,000, according to figures presented in School District 40’s 2023/24 budget.
The money will cover the cost of adding motorization to classroom blinds so they can be closed in the event of a security concern or lockdown situation at the school.
It will also pay for partial frosting of the interior-facing glass classroom walls that overlook common spaces. That frosting will be a band across the middle section of the glass walls.
SD40 superintendent Karim Hachlaf explained the move is designed to help address concerns over privacy without compromising the initial glass-walled design of the school, which was intended to provide a “visible learning environment.”
Trustee Danielle Connelly said she appreciated the distinction between the safety concerns and the issues around privacy but suggested the frosting on the glass walls should be from the mid-point down to give students “privacy of body.”
Kristie Oxley, president of the New Westminster Teachers’ Union, questioned whether the district could save the money it would spend on motorized blinds by fully frosting the windows instead.
“We’re still very much in favour of something that provides more covering,” she said. “It has the dual benefit of if there is a lockdown, either a drill or an actual unfortunate event, that it would provide that space for students to hide from an intruder … and then of course, that provides that privacy piece.”
Laura Kwong, chair of the New Westminster district parent advisory council, echoed Oxley’s comments.
“It’s a huge safety piece for students beyond the active shooter scenario,” she said. “It’s anxiety, it’s feeling not on display while they’re trying to focus on their schoolwork and not having peers in the hallways watching them. … It’s bigger than just that angle of a lockdown drill. Yes, the blinds do provide that, but the frosting provides much more.”
Hachlaf said frosting too much of the window felt “intrusive” and the proposed plan tries to strike a balance between privacy and visibility.
He also noted that more frosting can be added along the lower sections in future if it proves necessary — or removed if it doesn’t.
The discussion arose during Hachlaf’s 2023/24 budget recommendations to the board at their May 2 operations committee meeting.
The budget is expected to return to the May 23 school board meeting for adoption.
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