By Zoe Hsu
Since the Feb. 14 shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, there has been a greater concern among both students and staff that people unauthorized to be on campus would enter schools. With this in mind and the general concern for strangers on campus, administrators implemented a new entry procedure that required students to show their ID to campus supervisors at all entrances starting March 5.
Campus supervisors reminded students to have their ID as they entered school from Feb. 20. The following week on Feb. 26, campus supervisors asked students to show their ID and asked questions about their classes or grade to those who failed to present their ID to prove that they are a TCHS student.
Administrators discussed this entry system during one of their meetings in January. They were afraid that as non-students became aware of the visitors process, they would attempt to enter the school by disguising as a student.
“We are doing everything we can to make sure that a student’s day is impacted in as minimal way as possible,” Assistant Principal Mr. Christopher Holmes said. “We want kids to be happy to come to school and be confident that they’re safe and their teachers and school care about them.”
Campus supervisors can distinguish an old or false ID from the current ID by asking students to hold the card up and next to their face rather than allowing them to simply flash their ID. They can also look at where the picture is located, due to the fact that last year’s ID picture is on the opposite side of the current ID. If a student fails to present an ID, the campus supervisor uses an iPad or phone to look up their name on the roster. After the first two weeks of March, students who are held for identification will no longer be excused for tardiness.
“I don’t mind this new ID entry system,” Sophomore Victoria Hwang said. “If whoever decided to do this feels that it makes our school a safer place, then they can go ahead and use this method.”
Safety committee members will be able to give feedback on this new entry system and other current safety systems at their meetings. Because many students desire to participate in the committee, English teacher Ms. Erica Dolter collected a list of interested students to give to Mr. Holmes and Principal Dr. Jennifer Lashier.
Even though this system is intended to protect students, there are some who do not believe that it fulfills its duty.
“Although TCHS is a wonderful school, I genuinely don’t feel safe at all,” Junior Heidi Hou said. “The actions our school has taken so far are admirable, but realistically they would not be enough in the case of a real emergency.”
The entry procedure and other similar safety systems are subject to change depending on the needs and safety of the students. Active shooter drills may also take place in the fall and spring during the school year after proper training.
“The first thing we want to do is to identify any holes in our current system including our campus facilities, so we will be inviting law enforcement to give us a security assessment of our campus,” Mr. Holmes said. “We would have discussions on active shooter training, go through the trainings and then we would invite an outside agency to put us through a drill.”