New door policy set to improve campus safety
The door policy on campus has been updated, with the front doors being the only ones open during the school day. The new policy has been implemented to promote safety. Previously doors such as the ones leading to the student parking lot would be open during passing periods for students that had late arrival or CTE classes.
State officials in Austin are making $400 million available to help school districts in improving safety measures such as replacing or upgrading doors, windows, fences, and communications.
“School security will be a priority for the Texas House during the 88th Legislature,” Texas Speaker of the House Dade Phelan said in a news release. “This additional funding is a meaningful step we can take in the meantime.”
This comes as the Texas Education Agency recently released a proposal for new safety features that includes features such as panic alarm systems, walls or fences around school grounds, and entry-resistant film on windows. If approved, TEA’s new safety features would go into effect in 2023.
Rather than wait until the new year, Frisco ISD implemented new measures on Monday as campus doors are now going to be locked during transition periods and will only be open before school and after school to increase campus security. The only available entrance during school hours will be the front doors.
“Having the doors on auto unlock makes it difficult to monitor those areas,” assistant principal Jason Harris said. “By only having one entrance and exit during transition time makes it easier for staff to monitor the flow of traffic and identify potential intruders.”
For students who often leave the building for other activities during the school day, the new policy is taking some time to adjust to.
“Walking around to the front is not feasible in a reasonable amount of time, especially considering that the weather has been pretty bad recently,” senior Joanna Boss said. “It’s not only inconvenient, it can be unsafe. I think having that additional entrance which is the most common entrance used by most of our students, especially our drivers is the most reasonable choice.”
Despite the school emailing parents and students, the new policy has caught some students off guard.
“I didn’t know about the new door policy on Monday,” senior Connor Andrus said. “But because of it, I was late to class because I had to walk all the way around the building to enter.”
School Resource Officer Glen Hubbard understands the frustrations but believes that safety is more important.
“It’s inconvenience versus safety,” Hubbard said. “It’s something that we’re just gonna have to get used to, unfortunately.”
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