To help maintain security and ensure the safety of staff and students, a new rule is being enforced by Clark County School District. Teachers are now required to keep their doors locked at all times.

“The only new rule is that school police encouraged the teachers in the school to make sure that every classroom door is locked,” Dean James Campbell said. “If there were an emergency of any kind they wouldn’t have to fumble with the lock and they could just close the door. Students may have to knock on the door and interrupt instruction, which is an unfortunate by-product of this, but safety is the [biggest concern].”

This new rule comes in part due to the tragic incident at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. Additionally, CCSD plans to create a system that will allow teachers to initiate hard lockdown drills from their classrooms.

“I think, first and foremost, we’re trying to secure our students,” Health teacher Jose Gomez said. “If anything does happen, there are protocols that need to be taken place. We lock the door [so] if anything comes by and they try to open the door and it’s locked, then they’ll be less likely to advance. With all the lockdowns that were doing, if the door is locked, they’ll hopefully move on.”

The new district policies were put into place on Feb. 15 and teachers will be required to watch additional safety videos.

“By locking the doors, it gives an extra sense of safety that if anyone does come into the school that shouldn’t be here, we have the doors already locked,” sophomore Kiana Espinoza said. “Since the Florida school shootings, I know me and a couple of others have been a little on edge about going to school and what they’re doing to keep us safe.”

Students, teachers and parents are encouraged to report suspicious or inappropriate behaviors to the SafeVoice website.

“We’re just trying to make sure our procedures are sound,” Campbell said. “We want to make sure we do the right thing at the right time. It’s important that we know what to do if there’s an emergency. [This rule] is all about being prepared and keeping our students safe.”