In the wake of the Sandy Hook, Conn. shooting, the school reassessed its safety procedures and has implemented new policies to better protect students. Unfortunately, these policies are too extreme and could cause issues during other emergencies.
As a response to the shooting, teachers are now required to keep their classroom doors locked during school hours. This is helpful, yet dangerous to students. If somebody armed was to enter campus, and students were in the hallways, they would have trouble getting into classrooms because of the locked doors. During routine lockdown practices, teachers are required to turn off their lights and students gather in the area of the room not visible by the door window. But students in the hallways would be stranded and left in danger.
Another change is the exterior gates are now locked during school hours. The gates are locked at 9 a.m. and reopened at the end of the day. While locking the gates keeps harmful threats out of the school, it also makes it more difficult for students coming and going.
In addition, all doors leading from the outside to the inside school are now locked as well. People are able to exit the school, but not get in, except from the front doors. And while the south side entrance by the AP Office’s is open through 10:15 a.m., students arriving after first or fifth period have to walk all the way around to the front to enter the building – which is awfully time consuming.
The school worked with local law enforcement and the LISD risk management department in developing these new security processes. The concern for the safety of students and safety is appreciated, but these measures are inconvenient and could cause delays in emergency situations.
At the least, the locking of classroom doors should be reconsidered. If an armed person were to enter a campus building, it would be better for students in the hallways to be able to enter a nearby classroom and not be locked out. Teachers could then lock their doors and move the students out of the window’s view.
As a solution to the locked entrance doors, the school could leave them unlocked for the morning hours, so that late students are able to get inside the school faster. At noon, they could lock them, and all late students could enter through the front.
Safety gates and locked doors are a security precaution, but it would be nice if those measures were less difficult to navigate.
