By Sheena Gonzalez
Schools across the country are embracing school security this year in response to last year’s Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting incident.
District officials are responding to the issue by adding buzz-in systems, fences and surveillance cameras in various schools.
“It’s a very difficult situation to know exactly how to manage because we cannot predict what a person is going to do or how they’re going to react,” Daniel Pearl Magnet High School (DPMHS) Principal Deborah Smith said.
At DPMHS, doors to classrooms now automatically lock and teachers have been told to leave the doors closed.
The Los Angeles School Police Department (LASPD) are also recruiting security officers to fill in 1,000 positions. Unfortunately, DPMHS has not yet acquired most of these privileges.
“Certain areas are too accessible to the public,” Campus Security Staff Madgeolyn Wooten, said. “I believe someone should question who’s going in and out. There are so many outside factors that loom and the face of danger has changed.”
According to a study by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), 14 percent of schools reported to having only a part-time security staff. On a positive note, the study shows that controlled access to school grounds increased by 12
“To have the campus open on all directions and angles exposes us to safety and security risks. Anybody could come in and we wouldn’t even know necessarily that they’re there,” Smith said.
Smith has arranged with the LASPD to walk around the campus and discuss what measures to take in order to tighten security.
Students believe that a heightened security would only bring unnecessary worry.
“It creates a hostile environment (because) If we had a security officer, it would make people worry about dangers that aren’t really there,” freshman Katarina Lashley said.
However, school officials defend that protecting students and staff from possible attacks is a greater priority.
“We are always thinking about the possibility,” Smith said. “It’s like a fire drill. We hope it never happens, but we have to do the fire drill anyway. We hope we never have a massive earthquake, but we still do the drills to be prepared and ready.”
