In light of the events in Parkland, FL, the Pel Mel sat down with Superintendent Dr. Cheryl Champ to discuss additional safety precautions instituted by the district to help make PMHS a safer place. Among these are the installation of a camera controlled entry system at entrances, the upgrade of blue exterior lights to LED bulbs as a warning system for students during a lock-out, and a police presence in the form of a patrol car near the premises. Additionally, the school will continue to hold drills to ensure the students that staff are prepared and ready to make their safety the number one priority.

Do you think that the new camera controlled system is adequate in increasing school security?
I think it will help. I think it will definitely shore up some vulnerabilities that we have by increasing the security in a very reasonable way. You could go to a real extreme of armed guards, metal detectors…. which may or may not help, but that would also make it feel like a prison. I am not of the belief system that schools should feel like prisons. I think school should be safe, but it should also feel like a school.

Will this affect students’ ability to leave and enter campus when they please?
Some people want to talk about switching to swipe cards for students, and there are definitely some benefits to that, because it counts exactly who is in and out. So we will be looking at that over the next couple of months, but we are not looking at changing the open-campus policy.

Are you discussing any further measures to enhance school security?
We are also working on an improved camera surveillance system for all schools in the district. We will replace old cameras with digital ones and increase the number of overall camera coverage on the outside of the schools. Our district safety team will also be assessing what we have in place and anything else we need to be doing to increase safety.

There has been a national discussion about having armed guards at schools to protect children. How do you feel about that?
We all want to make schools safe but I do genuinely get concerned about the concept of bringing guns inside the school. It is a safe, gun-free zone for a reason. I understand the thinking behind it… but I am not convinced that is the solution.

There were a few emails sent out to the community about a recent threat/rumor to the school. Has this been resolved?
Yes. Students should not be concerned at all.

Will there be a continued police presence remaining outside of the high school?
We always work with the local police forces, and they were very cooperative in wanting to provide that increased presence as a deterrent, but also as a chance to maybe get to know students better, and to form stronger relationships. The district safety committee will be talking about whether to continue that or not.