With the rise of safety incidents on campuses in Clark County School District (CCSD), and in light of the recent mass shooting on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) campus this week, the issue of safety has become more imperative. Because of this and past events, the district has continued implementing additional measures to keep staff and students safe.
Head of the Southwest CTA Campus Safety Committee, Assistant Principal Cameron Roehm, is actively working with teachers and staff to reduce the likelihood of incidents on campus.
“CCSD has implemented new policies for all schools in the district,” Roehm said. “They are completing renovations in terms of campus safety to all schools. We are on their list and it will help some of those weaker areas in our school.”
One-point of entry, window/door coverings, and locked classroom doors throughout the day are some of the new requirements on campus. These are being implemented to reduce the risk of intruders or threats to students and staff inside classrooms.
“Our campus is really big and having that single point of entry, through the front office, for everyone is to ensure we know exactly who is on campus,” Campus Safety Committee member Jennifer Shaps said. “The window and door coverings are an easy way to hide students and staff if needed, especially if you have to hide 40 people in a classroom. Classroom doors being locked throughout the day again is just another precaution for teachers and students in the event of anything happening.”
While these new policies are working to improve safety, there are concerns that it interferes with students’ ability to focus in class.
“During class I usually have to watch the door when people leave to use the restroom,” sophomore Tyler Moran said. “It becomes annoying at times when I am really trying to pay attention, especially while doing labs. However, I understand the safety aspect in keeping the doors locked and I think it positively outweighs the possibility of something happening.”
Staff and students are being asked to cooperate and comply with these new policies, as it can prevent potential hazards. Placing new measures to keep campus safe is ineffective without everyone collectively working to enforce these policies.
“We [admin] stress that students are not opening doors for people or even other students,” Roehm said. “The reason for having a single-point of entry is to ensure we know exactly who is coming onto campus whether it is a student or visitor. With the changing times, CCSD is trying to prevent as many safety issues that could happen to schools within the district.”
