Key Control Guidelines

DISTRICT KEY PROCEDURE 12/20/20

 

ASSIGNMENT OF KEYS

Building Principals or Directors are responsible for the keys to their buildings. Only Building Principals or Directors may authorize keys to be issued to staff. Good judgment must be exercised when determining who needs a key. Keys should be issued only to individuals who have a legitimate need for the key. The number of master and sub-master keys at a site should be limited, and only issued to individuals who need access to buildings outside of regular building hours. No outside door or master keys will be given to new personnel until their new hire paper is complete and have been board approved, or to temporary personnel. No exterior school key shall be issued to anyone who is not an official school employee.

EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES

Employees shall only use District keys for access to their assigned work areas and should lock doors when leaving their work area. Employees must also ensure that keys are safeguarded and properly used. At the end of each school year assigned keys must be inventoried by the Building Principal or Director. Keys must be turned in to the Building Principal or Director upon the end of employment with PHM Schools. Employees may not loan out or exchange assigned keys.

Employees shall also report any lost keys to their Building Principal or Director immediately. Keys will only be issued to an employee once they have signed for them and confirmed that they have received a copy of P-H-M’s Key Procedure.

LOST KEYS

Lost building keys can pose a serious security issue. Employees must report lost or stolen keys to the appropriate Site Administrator. When building keys are lost, the Building Principal or Director must complete and submit a Lost Key Report the day the key is identified as lost. If a copy of the Lost Key Report cannot be e-mailed immediately, the administrator shall notify the facilities department about the lost key by telephone. Anyone filing a false Lost Key Report will be subject to disciplinary action. If missing keys need replacement, submit a key request to the facilities department via a New Key Request Form. Anyone finding a key/keys should turn them into their supervising administrator or the facilities department.

BROKEN KEYS

Broken keys will be replaced without charge if all the broken parts are returned to supervising administrator. A key request form must be generated and submitted to the facilities department along with the broken key  parts.

RE-KEYING

When a key is lost or stolen, the Director of Facilities with the Chief Operating Officer are responsible for deciding whether to re-key the affected area(s).

RECORDS

It is essential that digital records be kept for all district keys. Record keeping will be the responsibility of the Director of Facilities. Files will contain all signed receipts of assigned keys. All keys will be marked with a nomenclature that will identify each key individually. Inventory of assigned keys will be done at the end of each school year by building principals and department directors. All reports of lost or stolen keys will be immediately reported to the Chief Operating Officer.

TEMPORARY KEYS

It is the responsibility of each building to retain a signature for each temporary use key. It is advised that a deposit of vehicle keys or a driver’s license, or item of similar necessity, be required from an employee who is receiving a temporary key for daily use.

KEY CABINETS

A securable key cabinet will be located in the main office of each building. The cabinet will only be accessible by a restricted access key. The cabinet shall be secured at all times when not in use. Each building will receive the necessary spare keys it needs to perform normal daily routines with substitute staff. The cabinet will also contain interior keys that can be assigned to groups that have been approved for a building use event. It is the responsibility of the building to maintain control of those spare keys. The building Principal or designated building administrator will sign for the spare keys that are stored in the cabinet.

KEY REPLACEMENT CHARGES

The cost for key replacement for the first instance is $15 per assigned key lost. The cost for key replacement for the second instance is $25 per assigned key lost. Keys will not be replaced upon the third instance of lost keys.