By: Hanna Nakano
A $13 plastic device designed to keep classroom doors quiet is being touted as an intruder-preventing safety measure in one California school district, raising questions about whether low-cost safety measures are putting students at risk.
More than three months after a report from the Yolo County Grand Jury stated there was “concern about protection from active shooter incidents” on Davis Joint Unified School District campuses, those campuses look almost the same as they did last school year.
The Grand Jury report, published May 2025, highlighted a lack of campus security in Davis schools and recommended improvements for better protection of students and staff. It was the fourth Grand Jury report outlining such safety issues on Davis campuses since 2016.
DJUSD was required to file a response to the Grand Jury, and in it Superintendent Matt Best stated the safety of students and staff is “paramount to the District.”
Locked doors?
DJUSD’s response refuted findings made by the Grand Jury—including one that found “teachers frequently leave their classroom doors unlocked during school hours.”
“The District disagrees with this finding,” the response reads. “The District has Lock Bloks installed on all exterior doors which allows the door to be kept locked at all times. When the Lock Blok is engaged, the door does not fully latch so students and staff can enter and exit without a key. In the event of an emergency, the Lock Blok can quickly slide over, and the door will fully latch.”
Our investigation shows that response to be misleading.
Lock Blocks are installed, yes. But are classroom doors actually locked?
Revising the District’s statement to the Grand Jury: “In the event of an emergency, the Lock Blok can quickly slide over, and the door will fully latch.”
What is a Lock Blok?
Lock Bloks are made of plastic and are secured with adhesive tape.
The founder of the company that makes them—Rick Morris of New Management, Inc.—said in a YouTube video he promotes that he invented the product to keep kids from making sounds with doors.
“From the sound of the knob being rattled as the students come and go to the sound of that clunking sound it makes when the door closes completely, it’s just an all day nuisance,” Morris explains in the video. “That’s why I invited Lock Blok.”
The Dirt found no evidence the device has been tested or rated for safety or security.
The Door Security & Safety Foundation is an organization that promotes safe and secure openings through awareness, education and advocacy. They help folks understand code implications and complexity of products and applications. Their website, lockdontblock.org encourages districts to move away from this type of device.
“While these devices are perceived to be less expensive while providing additional security, they have the significant potential to facilitate unintended consequences when incidents of bullying, harassment or physical violence take place,” the website reads. “Additionally, most barricade devices prevent access from the outside, so even a staff member or emergency responder with a key to the classroom door would not be able to enter.”
In 2023, $3 million dollars was allocated by DJUSD to pay for safety fencing. As of August, minimal fencing has been added to the North Davis campus between buildings on the sides bordering F Street and the Mary L. Stephens Branch Library. There are no fences at the front or back of the campus.
Multiple requests for comment about school safety, fencing and Lock Blok usage specifically were unanswered by DJUSD. Emails to New Management, Inc. were not returned by time of print.
