On Monday, Feb. 26, South implemented new security measures to mitigate the amount of people coming in and out of the building. The new rules come in the wake of the Parkland shooting, where an armed gunman entered a Florida high school unnoticed and took the lives of 17 students and faculty.
South will now open its doors for arrival at 7:15 a.m. and will lock all but the front atrium door and the east B-Wing door at 8 a.m. Faculty members will be stationed by these doors with a radio to ensure students arrive in the school safely. Security guards have been repositioned to accommodate the relocated entryway and additional guards monitor the other 30+ doors in the school. This is all in addition to existing cameras inside and outside of the school, all of which are accessible to security.
“People get on their cell phone, call their buddies and say, ‘hey can you let me in’ and we’re trying to put a stop to that. We’re focusing diligently on keeping doors locked,” Jay True, South’s assistant principal, said.
The new protocols are designed to give security a leg up on knowing who is in the school. While they may not be huge changes to the school’s safety procedure, they aren’t the only way South keeps students protected. True urged students to contact their counselors if they identify potentially dangerous students. Counselors will always contact the student in question after they are reported and if further action needs to be taken, parents and authorities are informed.
Cameras, guards, counselors, and now locked doors all work in tandem to keep the school safer. Although there is no measure that can ensure full safety against an intruder, True and the rest of the administration believe that by making these changes, they will keep students as safe as possible. Where safety is concerned, “We don’t brush it off,” True said.
