OXFORD – When the new Paris Elementary School opens in February, every visitor will be forced to stop at the main office window in the foyer.

Surveillance cameras will be placed strategically throughout the school, and if there’s any kind of scare, the building could be locked down at the push of a button.

It’s a school suited to the post-Columbine era.

Officials from the Oxford Hills School district met on Thursday to discuss school security measures. They looked at the security the schools had in place and discussed how they could bring things up-to-date, said Superintendent Mark Eastman.

While there have been scares in the area, Eastman said national events prompted the discussion.

Eastman said he has asked school principals to do a complete analysis of their security. At Guy E. Rowe Elementary in Norway, school officials did a complete walk-through with the Norway Police Department, said Principal George Sincerbeaux.

Rowe is in good shape, Sincerbeaux said. One security glitch was found, and officials are working to fix it.

Policing schools is difficult, Eastman said, because while it’s important to keep students safe, they also want to maintain an open and inviting atmosphere.

Two points Eastman is focusing on are controlling entry points and encouraging staff to wear identification. Also, visitors should be given guest tags to wear, Eastman said.

“We want to be able to identify these folks and know who they are and why they’re there,” Eastman said.

Eastman said school officials are considering locking all doors during the day, and having visitors ring a bell or buzzer to enter.

All schools exercise a secure building drill, where all students enter the nearest classroom and all the doors are locked.

Officer Zane Loper of the Paris Police Department works at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School as a resource officer, monitoring surveillance cameras and handling problems.

He said school officials are always looking at school security.

“What I think we need to do is constantly reassess (security measures),” Loper said. “Administration always has safety and security in mind.”

There haven’t been any real threats in the past 10 years, Eastman said. The most serious situations have arisen after an angry parent going through a divorce threatens to come to the school and take their child.

Paris Elementary will open in February and the students at Madison Avenue Elementary in Oxford and Mildred Fox Elementary in South Paris will move in.

While Paris Elementary was built with additional security, Principal Jane Fahey said she doesn’t want the school to be run like a prison. However, she does want the security of knowing exactly who is in the building.

“We don’t want to send a message to parents that they’re not welcome,” Fahey said.