Tragedies such as the one at Sandy Hook Elementary are the ones that make us wonder if it could ever happen here. The Tiger Cub wanted to find out. Equipped with a hidden video camera
and audio recording device, we had Dustyn John, a random stranger, roam the school to see if anyone would stop him. Unfortunately no one did stop him and he was able to maneuver throughout the school. Principal Jay Opperman says society is largely the cause of security concern.
“The reality of our society today is that we do have to do things to make sure that things are safe, and that we know the people in our building,” Opperman said.
The test shows that both students and staff need to be vigilant to people in the building. Spanish teacher Jean Davis says that seeing the man did raise a concern in her head, however she did not act on it.
“Honestly the biggest reason was because the bell was about to ring and I gotta get to class, I don’t know, but you got us. We totally should have [stopped him], that’s the point,” Davis said.
Things that have been added to the building for added security include a video surveillance system, new main entry way doors that will be controlled by a button in the main office, and a door lock system at all other entry points in the building. The new entryway system should be in full force at the start of the 2013-2014 school year.
“Students will find next year that we’ll probably have doors open a reduced amount of time, compared to this year and previous years. We do still want to give access to students during high flow times,” Opperman said.
Waiting to put all security measures in place in the fall will help aid in consistency for students and staff, Opperman said.
