SAN MARCOS -- The San Marcos Unified School District is keeping its guard up when it comes to ensuring that students and teachers are secure while school is in session, district officials said last week.

The district plans to enhance security fencing and gate systems, a primary defense against intruders, at a number of its elementary, middle and high schools as part of an ongoing project to secure all 17 school sites, said Jim Poltl, the district's executive director of maintenance, operations and transportation.

"That's our primary purpose -- protecting students," said Poltl, who said if kids are safe and comfortable, they'll do better in school.

The project is expected to cost $155,000, he said.

Though no major incidents have occurred in the district, Poltl said, "during occupied student time, we have to reasonably control who can access campus so students and teachers feel protected."

Additional fencing will be installed at the campus entries at Alvin Dunn, Knob Hill, La Costa Meadows, Paloma and Twin Oaks elementaries and San Marcos Middle School over winter break, he said.

Fences will also be installed at San Elijo middle and Mission Hills high schools -- two schools that already have secured front entries -- to protect equipment and property, he said.

"My concern is about classes that have a door facing the street and are exposed to the outside," said Poltl, adding that the schools already have partial fences meant to secure kindergarten and children's play areas.

For example, Knob Hill Elementary has a few classrooms with doors that face a drop-off/pick-up area.

"Teachers could never leave their classroom doors open because you never know who could stroll in," he said. "We're responsible for the integrity of the school, so you have to know who's there all the time."

To guard against intruders, steel vertical bar fences will be installed between existing poles in front of exposed classrooms to enclose the area, forcing visitors to check in at the school's front office before being granted permission to be on campus, he said.

Knob Hill parent Veronica Sandoval praised the additional fencing because she said she has seen many people go straight to classrooms without stopping by the administration office first.

"It'll be good because they'll have a record of who came inside and at what time, in case something happens," said Sandoval.

Julie Marron, whose third-grade daughter used to have class in a room that faced the school's pick-up/drop-off area, said that while she and her daughter feel safe on campus, the fences will make the school more secure.

"People can just walk in those classrooms anytime," said Marron. "I think it's a very good idea that they're extending those gates. It makes parents feel safer sending our kids somewhere the kids feel safe, also."

At other schools with different configurations such as La Costa Meadows Elementary, the challenge is how to get visitors onto campus without having them walk through individuals' offices, said Poltl. The district has proposed extending fences and installing a door in the administrative building, which will allow visitors to loop out of the front office and onto campus, he said.

The district started enhancing security fences at school sites after incidents like the 1999 Columbine and 2001 Santana and Granite Hills high school shooting sprees prompted teachers and parents to ask for heightened security.

"That's when people started to look at things differently," said Poltl. "Every time you have a scenario (like Columbine), information gets out to schools and faculty members and you start having concerns."

While the main goal is to address student safety, the additional fences may also help curb vandalism, which Poltl said isn't a big problem at this point.

"Most vandalism occurs after school or weekends in areas that have regular skateboarders," he said, adding that some skateboarders cut handrails and break benches or lunch tables on campus to accommodate skating. "They're on campus with nothing to do. Before you know it, they're looking for open doors."

Vandalism is more common on district construction sites, including at the Joli Ann Leichtag Elementary School, slated to open in August 2008 and will have security fencing built in, said Kathy Tanner, executive director of facilities planning and development for the district.

Construction materials such as PVC piping and copper cables have been stolen from the site, prompting the district to hire nighttime and weekend security, Tanner said.

"We're quite hopeful we won't have any more theft or vandalism there," she said.

While additional fencing is better than nothing, people will still attempt to climb fences to gain access, Poltl said.

"It's hard to keep that kind of activity out," he said.

The district's next venture will be to install more security cameras on its campuses, he said.

Contact staff writer Noelle Ibrahim at (760) 761-4404 or nibrahim@nctimes.com.