Locking down the Lew

District increases security measures for safety of students, staff

In the wake of the May 24 Uvalde shooting that took the lives of 19 students and two teachers, the district has imposed new rules and regulations to increase the district’s security. 

The new rules require students to only enter and exit the school through the front (01) and back (16) doors at all times. They also ask teachers to keep their doors closed and locked during all classes. This has led to many shared  opinions from both students and staff regarding school security.

“I mean it is what it is,” senior Ibrahim Ali said. “But I’m not going to lie, it is pretty annoying to have to wait outside and knock on the door.”

Some students find these new rules annoying and disruptive, while teachers recognize how important they are.

“Ultimately, I want to protect as many kids in our school as possible,” counseling and mental health teacher Blair Green said. “At the end of the day, every parent wants their child to come home. And if that makes a small inconvenience on your life by having these new security protocols followed, that’s minor compared to a parent not having their child come home.”

These new implemented regulations have helped pave the way for new physical upgrades to the school building. 

“One of the major increases physically was in the past we could bar down doors and key down doors…throughout the state that’s gone away now,” head of security Lanele Lindsey said. “So now you can’t bar down a door or prop it open.”

These upgrades and school rules have caused some negative opinions within students, but they realize how important they are.

“At the end of the day, it’s for our own good, so you can’t really get mad,” Ali said.

This is something both students and staff can agree on no matter their own personal beliefs or opinions. 

“Safety first, it’s all about safety,” Lindsey said. “There’s no short, easy way to make sure everybody’s safe.”