Concerns about school security is very important to not only the students, but the parents and faculty too. With the new school on the way, old security measures don’t seem as effective as they once were and are in need of a makeover. 

   The school board has been working hard to make safety their number one priority for students across campus. Many new rules and regulations are going to be put into place that will accommodate for safety issues that are relevant today. 

   “The safety of our students is always first in my mind,” Principal Stephanie Traweek said. “That’s something that I lose sleep over all the time.”

   The foyer will create a safer environment for students when the school has visitors on campus. There will be a controlled office area where the big gym is currently located, and you have to have permission to go beyond that point.

  “There will be precautions put in place that will not allow visitors to come in without being buzzed in,” Traweek said. “They will not have access to classrooms without a valid reason.”

   Right now, students do not feel as safe as they could in our school, and are excited for the safety measures to be updated. 

   “I think that it’s exciting that the new school is improving school safety,” Sophomore Ella Montieth said. “I don’t feel as safe as I could in our school now, and hope it improves in the new school.”

   The interior classrooms will have no changes made to them, but the school will be getting a new intercom system for the classrooms due to our current outdated one. 

   “Sometimes I can’t hear them well so I’m excited to get new ones,” teacher Bobby Clevenger said. 

   Not much will change when it comes to safety policies for the students, but new drill routes will need to be rethought for the new facility. 

   “The day to day operations will be consistent and carry over,” Traweek said. “But things will have to change as far as drills in the new facility.”

   The police officers are expected to stay consistent and carry their jobs over to the new school. 

   “I think safety falls on all of us on all different levels,” Traweek said. “Starting with our two resource officers, then administration, and teachers. We are all responsible for our students’ safety.”

   Talk of teachers being armed on campus has not only been a hot topic for our community but for the school board too. 

   “There has been talk of the Guardian Program which would have some teachers carry on campus,” Traweek said. “The school board has discussed it, but a decision has not yet been made.” 

    Besides safety concerns, students carry a lot of weight on their shoulders between balancing home and school life. This strain on students mentality could possibly lead to harmful situations. Currently there is a counselor stationed at some of the middle schools in our district, that deals specifically with mental health. Jason Martinez has been a huge help for the students in those schools this year. 

   “I know teenagers deal with and bring a lot to school and have other things to take care of,” Traweek said. “It can sometimes be hard to cope with all those things, and to have someone to talk to and help you deal with your problems is crucial.” 

   The stress of school weighs down on students shoulders, and sometimes keeps them from getting their school work done. 

   “Having every teacher give me homework on the same day and having responsibilities outside of school hurts my mental health and sometimes keeps me from getting all of my school work done,’’ senior Kailei Prichard said. 

   Traweek wants to continue to keep everyone updated on safety measures in the new school, and continue to keep safety a number one priority with moving forward.

   “Safety is a concern now, it always is, but we will continue to strive to protect our kids,” Traweek said. “We have things in place to make sure safety is always number one on our minds.”