The school’s security system underwent a change three months ago when multiple fires were started in the upstairs bathrooms. Besides hiring private security for the two weeks after the incident, school faculty has been looking to improve security and keep the school safe for students.

“We’ve had a pretty sketchy, skeletal system until now,” Lou Bailey, principal, said. According to Bailey, security at West Linn High has not been up to par as other schools in the district.

“I’ve spoken to other schools in the district like Wilsonville and they’ve had this higher level of security for the past six years,” Bailey said.

The most obvious change that can be seen are the new security cameras being installed around the school. Besides replacing old security cameras with new ones, cameras have also been installed in hot spots around the school.

The area around the gym has needed improved security with the rash of thefts occurring in the locker rooms. There will not be cameras in the locker rooms. Students should not be worried about these new security measures being intrusive, as camera footage is usually only looked at in special situations, according to Bailey.

“We’re not ‘Big Brother’,” Bailey said “We’re not constantly watching the cameras.”

The cameras are mostly in place to keep an eye on things after hours when most of the staff has gone home. “We just keep them as a tool in case something goes wrong,” Bailey said.

Besides new cameras, there have also been other measures put in place to keep track of students. For example, students were required to wear lanyards by as hall passes during the two weeks with the private security. In most classrooms, they are still being used by most classrooms.

Despite these new security measures the best way to keep the school safe has (and still is) been for our students to be well behaved and responsible.

“This school is like a society,” Mike Francis, School Resource Officer, said.  “It relies on people having honor, and when people don’t, the system breaks down.”