New safety procedures come to Chapman
In May of this year, the U.S. suffered a tragedy. The devastation of Uvalde, Texas, has affected schools across the country.
Chapman and other schools across the district have adopted new safety procedures. Students and teachers have already felt the new effects of the procedures.
Journalism teacher Alex Hollis said these new procedures have affected his teaching.
“The biggest impact teaching has been the teacher having to open the door and how much it interrupts the class,” said Hollis.
Hollis said that even if the disruptions are difficult, he understands the reason behind why he has been asked to do it.
“I know why we’re doing that,” Hollis said. “I understand that we live in a scary world, and it’s unfortunate that we have to have these things in place.”
Students have also felt some different effects around the school. Libby Whitlow, a sophomore, explains her positive opinion about the safety procedures.
“Well, they’ve affected me by making me feel safer where I am,” Whitlow said. “Maybe we’re just a little bit startled by the recent events and want to prevent them from happening in our school.”
Teachers opening the door is one of the major changes thus far, but it is not the only change. Always be aware of your surroundings. As students, you guys are on the front lines. You hear something that doesn’t sound right or see something that doesn’t sound right. — Andrew McMillan
And more are coming, according to school resource officer David Stephens.
“Education and people are always evolving, so we have to adapt to that, and we’re always problem-solving,” said Stephens. “People are always changing, and situations are always changing.”
Students might not know this, but District One has a new Chief Safety Officer, Jeff Harmon.
“As far as I know, we’ve never had a safety officer in district one,” said Assistant Principal Matt Davis. “He’s a former police officer, but now he’s head of security and comes around looking for problems.”
Principal Andrew McMillan said that it is critical for students to understand their role in keeping the school safe.
“Always be aware of your surroundings,” he said. “As students, you guys are on the front lines. You hear something that doesn’t sound right or see something that doesn’t sound right.”
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