Everyone deserves to feel safe at school. One of the main goals of every school is to try and keep the students and teachers as safe as possible. This school year, new security measures were put in place to try and reach that goal.

New security measures were adopted when the Shelby County School District, required by the state of Tennessee, conducted a safety analysis of all schools. Each school was given security recommendations, but four schools, including White Station, were chosen to participate in a pilot program aimed at improving school safety.

Most of the doors are now equipped with cameras controlled by a monitor. If a student or visitor has been locked out, they must buzz in or identify themselves with a hall pass or visitor pass. There are also four additional full-time school resource officers who help address any criminal threat or safety concern.

These new measures are designed to keep all people inside White Station safe, while keeping people who have no reason to be there out. They are also aimed at decreasing tardiness.

“It keeps them safe by having a more controlled access to buildings and throughout the campus. It can potentially limit the risk of outsiders or trespassers being able to gain entry to certain parts of the building,” Assistant Principal Mr. Bowen said. “The halls also seem to be clearer. Students seem to be moving with more urgency because they don’t want to get locked out.”

Administration wants every student and teacher to be safe and accept these new measures.  

“I feel like it’s getting the attention of students and staff that we are trying and I feel like the students and staff are cooperating and want to do the same thing,” Mr. Bowen said.

While there are benefits to the new system, there are also some concerns.

“I believe [new security measures] will help school safety, but if there’s a case where we need to enter and it doesn’t work because of technical difficulties or something, that would be a bigger issue,” Kyla Thornton (10) said. “But I feel safer now [because of these new measures].”