Lakewood City Schools Deploys Bolo Sticks on 658 Doors After Million-Dollar Safety Grant
In August 2023, Lakewood City Schools in Lakewood, Ohio became one of the largest single-district deployments of the Bolo Stick door barricade system. The district used a million-dollar school safety grant to upgrade security measures across 658 doors — a scale of implementation that offers a practical case study in how districts can move from security planning to execution.
Why the Bolo Stick Was Selected
Lakewood City Schools conducted a thorough evaluation before choosing the Bolo Stick. The district tested multiple barricade systems across four different types of classroom doors to determine which product offered the best combination of versatility, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.
Chris Donahoe, Director of Operations at Lakewood City Schools, explained that while the competing products fell within a similar price range and installation cost, the Bolo Stick offered more features across the variety of door types present in the district's buildings. That versatility was a deciding factor for a district managing older facilities with non-standardized door configurations.
How It Works in Practice
The deployment protocol is straightforward. During a lockdown, the teacher or adult in the classroom removes the Bolo Stick from its holster, drops the steel pin into the door bracket, and the door is secured. No keys required. No fine motor skills needed. No stepping into the hallway.
This simplicity is by design. The Bolo Stick is manufactured from 1045 cold-rolled steel and rated to withstand more than 4,200 pounds of force. In high-stress situations — where heart rates spike above 200 BPM and fine motor skills deteriorate — a one-step operation becomes a critical advantage over more complex locking mechanisms.
A Layered Approach to School Safety
Lakewood City Schools Superintendent Maggie Niedzwiecki emphasized that no single device can prevent an incident from occurring. The Bolo Stick is one tool in a broader security strategy — one layer among many designed to give students and staff the best possible chance of staying safe during a crisis.
The district was also upgrading building exteriors, including a new intercom system to better control access points. It is the same defense-in-depth thinking school security experts recommend: multiple overlapping measures rather than a single point of failure.
Teacher and Student Impact
For teachers like Austin Sparks, a five-year educator at Lakewood City Schools, the presence of the Bolo Stick provides tangible reassurance. In a profession where school safety concerns are a constant undercurrent, having a physical security tool within arm's reach allows teachers to maintain focus on what they were hired to do: teach.
The device functions much like a fire extinguisher — present, visible, and understood by everyone in the room, but requiring no attention until the moment it's needed. Students understand its purpose without being alarmed by it. This normalcy is important; effective security measures should reduce anxiety, not increase it.
The Grant Funding Model
The Lakewood deployment maps a path other districts can follow. Federal and state grant programs specifically fund school security improvements, and barricade devices are an eligible, high-impact line item.
At $69 per unit, outfitting 658 doors cost a fraction of the overall grant, leaving budget for complementary measures like intercoms, camera upgrades, and training. For administrators looking for a proven, grant-eligible solution, Lakewood is a scalable model. See how the Bolo Stick fits school security plans.
In a lockdown situation, law enforcement retains the ability to unlock doors equipped with Bolo Sticks using a specialized tool — ensuring that the barricade protects against threats without impeding emergency response access.