Lyric Curtis

Students lean against the gate used to enter Texas High School after they go through metal detectors. New safety precautions limit entrances to the school, sometimes leaving students in impossible situations.

When I was younger, I remember feeling safe inside school. Safety never felt like a concern until now. I thought I would always be OK and I never worried about the worst outcomes.

 Now that I am older I have found the importance of looking out for myself and preparing for those possible outcomes that could be harming. I think the school has done a great job of ensuring our safety during school hours. 

At the beginning of the 2023 school year, Texas High School staff police department implemented new security measures for the high school campus. These security procedures include students walking through metal detectors before entering school, fences surrounding the perimeter and fingerprint scanning to identify students in the lunch line, rather than using identification numbes as used in previous years.

I definitely feel safer, but the new security posed a problem for my fellow students and I. 

One day I made arrangements to complete an assignment after school hours. As I made my way to the school from the dance studio, I could not find a way inside the building. During this time of day, all faculty members deserted their positions at entrances and exits, and I was left with no way to get inside. 

I continued to make my way around the school looking for an unlocked door or gate. I unfortunately did not find one, and I found myself back to where I started. I was determined to complete my assignment so I stood there and waited not knowing whether or not this assignment would ever get completed. Twenty minutes later, I was fortunate enough to find a student who then let me in. Because I didn’t have the amount of time promised to me as I spent most of it searching for a way to get inside the school, I performed badly on my assignment.

I am all for the new security but why not have a way for students to get in without a doubt? Students should not have to worry if they will be able to get inside the school they attend. The doors to the classrooms are already locked, so why not have the gates unlocked after school hours? This would provide an efficient way for students to enter the school from a class outside of the school without having to rely on a teacher or student. This would be more productive because students could get to where they need to be on time and have time to take care of any business as needed.