School safety has been a hot topic in recent years. Changes to school entrances and exit policy occurred over the summer, with a new lock system and front entry way added. Another change has recently been instituted to keep staff and students safe, a new procedure for evacuating students during emergencies that may happen during passing periods or lunch.  

“Our message to the students and to the teachers is that when it’s during passing period or during lunch, we’re going to have four different areas,” Mark Horak, athletic director, said.

“So, we’re going to explain to [students] where they are in the building,” Horak said. “For instance, if they’re outside on the front steps and having lunch, we’re going to have them go across a street to get away from the building. We’ll have kids evacuating to the baseball field, we’ll have kids evacuating to the football field, and to the teacher parking lot.”

This plan, however, could have some potential complications. Since students will not all be coming from or going to the same place, it may be difficult to insure that everybody has reached a safe place.

“So, we will do our best in accounting for everybody,” Horak said. “You’re going to have kids at market of choice or anywhere else. It’s going to be tougher to account for everybody. Our main goal is to make sure everybody is out of the building.”

“The main thing is the safety of the kids and getting them out of the building, and you don’t want them coming from the outside to the in and trying to find a place,” Horak said. “Wherever they’re located, the message is going to be to get out of the building and to the safest place.”Gracie Cao