Sadly, violence is a serious problem at school. Fortunately, many safety precautions have been put in place to help provide a safe and secure environment at schools. 

School administrators take their responsibilities to safeguard the safety of both students and faculty extremely seriously. There is tremendous pressure on educational institutions to take further measures to protect their employees and students. 

One newly implemented safety procedure are “hard corners.” Hard corners are coming to almost every school in Florida and have already been implemented at Olympic Heights. It’s an idea that Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School public safety commission has proposed as a recommendation to the state to better protect students.   A hardened corner is the area in a classroom where bullets being fired through a door cannot injure students and where an intruder cannot see through the window.  Some are concerned that the tape will cause more stress and anxiety about these situations especially for young students. Jennifer Sabin, a former teacher and mother of three students in Polk County schools, is not happy about the tape. “That means, several times a day, students like my 6-year-old son will be reminded of the potential for danger on their school campus,” Sabin said. “He is just now in kindergarten, and the cumulative effect of this tape over many years will have a negative effect on this generation of students. On a daily basis, it will make school feel like a potential war zone.”

Also, a new addition to our school is the bathroom scanners. Under the new policy, staff will be stationed outside certain restrooms during class time with a laptop and a student ID scanner. Students are now unable to use the bathroom unless they have their ID badge with them to scan. Most importantly, ID badges have strongly been used for security purposes. This is to maintain the safety of the school and let people know where people are in case of an emergency. 

Additionally, metal detectors will be installed on our campus shortly. Students should expect metal detectors to be at the front entrance of our school potentially after winter break. It will scan for any metals like knives and other weapons. Students will remove their chromebooks and slide them through the door. Some students expressed concern for this new policy. School Police Officer Rupp said, “There is no need to be nervous. It will be just like an airport just without having to take shoes off.” In addition to this, there will be a one-way entry at our school, the main entrance. This makes the security process easier. 

Students can help ensure that school is a safe environment by “see something, say something.” Officer Rupp said, “It’s not ratting out – it’s making people aware.” Teachers and students are not to open the door for anyone they do not know. If you see any suspicious activity, report it. 

Despite issues with safety, administrations are taking steps every day to make schools a safe and conforming place.