Board faces questions about school security

PENN » In the wake of the Valentine’s Day shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, parents and students are concerned about school safety and are bringing security issues to the attention of their local schools.

At the Avon Grove School District a number of students and adults expressed their concerns during the public comment portion of the Thursday, Feb. 22, school board meeting.

Among items of concern, the security at the entrance to the high school was brought up several times..

Security at entrance doors has been an item recommended by the school board facilities committee and in the schedule for future implementation, but it has not reached every school.

Unlike other schools in the district, the entrance to the high school is not tied to the building office or fitted with a secured vestibule. Visitors enter, and check in with a person on duty in the lobby.

One girl told how students were working in a group outside the auditorium when there were two visitors. One was being checked by the person on duty, but the second one was free while waiting. She also suggested ID badges for students so that any young person who is not a current student would be immediately recognizable.

“Our school has extremely poor safety procedures. I do not feel safe in my school. Please do not wait for a tragedy to make these changes happen,” she said.

Another student expressed frustration at the lock-down drills which are held periodically at the high school. According to her comments, students know in advance that a drill will be held. When it is, it consists of turning off the lights in the classrooms and standing silently.

One student pointed out the large glass windows of the cafeteria would make it difficult to hide, and floated the idea of bullet proof glass at some point when renovations are done to the high school.

“No student should go to school with the thought that this is the last place they’ll ever be,” he said.

District Superintendent Christopher Marchese took up the issue and spoke about security in his remarks at the meeting. He related that when he came to the district in 2013 there were a number of areas with lax security that have since been addressed.

One of the biggest was the open location of the modular classrooms outside various building on campus and at the high school. They were fenced in, to restrict access by anyone from outside the schools. Buildings have also had security systems installed that scan a visitor’s driver’s license to verify their identity when they enter any district school.

Marchese pointed out that the district has developed a working relationship with the state police, and other security improvements are being made.