Next semester, a new policy will be implemented that requires students to visibly wear their IDs on a lanyard while on campus at all times. This comes as part of various new security measures being implemented on campus to improve the safety of students, teachers, and staff.
“This will take place during school to get in the building, classes, hallways, as well as extracurricular events and sporting events,” assistant principal William Staats said. “We will have more dress code sweeps, we’ll be meeting kids when they come in to ensure that they are in dress code with their IDs upon entry, so it will be monitored much more.”
Required IDs will not be the only security measure implemented; a side-by-side for the security guards and alarms on the doors are also soon to come.
“That’s definitely a big thing that I think is going to be different for a lot of kids,” librarian Elizabeth Hall said. “You won’t just be able to go in and out of any door anymore. As far as I know, there’s going to be silent alarms, so they won’t disrupt the learning, but admins, SROs, and all those people will get a warning so they can investigate, see what’s going on, and that should hopefully be a huge deterrent for kids opening doors and letting strangers in, or just letting other kids in.”
With these new security measures, a calmer and safer environment is hoped to be fostered and sustained on campus.
“Honestly if those are the things that are going to be put in place I really think that’s enough,” math teacher Rebecca Wilburn said. “If we’re all being diligent and doing what we’re supposed to do, students and teachers, then we can both work together to keep this school safe.”
Most students have also expressed their support for this new change, recognizing and appreciating the need for it even if they’re not the most excited for it.
“It’s safe,” senior Kamali Oliver said. “Obviously not everyone’s gonna wanna do it. I don’t really think I wanna do it either, but it is a step in the right direction, and I think over time it will become a thing where more and more people will be like ‘okay, this is what we gotta do now or else there’ll be consequences.’ It’s definitely a good time to enforce it now, and I feel more comfortable knowing that my other friends are more safe. As long as they’re okay, then I’ll feel better by association. I think the administrators will be able to find a way to enforce these changes in the long term. I’d say by the next graduating class, they’ll have it on lock.”
Some students can see the positive and negative effect this change will have on student life.
“I feel like it adds a lot more steps to those who have a stressful morning,” sophomore Hunter Carhart said. “If someone is in a rush or misplaces their ID, they are gonna have to go through this tedious process to get into Horn. I feel like the stricter rules on safety does make the school safer, it can ensure the safety of students who go to Horn by having people verify if they go here or not through their IDs, but it’s making the students’ life at Horn more tedious. Still, I would rather trade off practicality for safety.”
Other students are skeptical of this change and wonder about the school’s ability to keep it going in the long term.
“Yes, it’s good that they’re raising security but the security should’ve been enforced in the first place,” senior Dora Melendez said. “Honestly, I really don’t have much hope for them keeping up with this change. Whenever I first heard about it, my initial thoughts were ‘okay, that’s good, but are they going to be able to enforce it?’ Because we’ve seen what happens with dress code. They enforce it for a week or a month at most, and then you just see everyone out of dress code again. I really feel like there’s kind of a big chance of that happening with the IDs, where it’s really enforced for a while so it looks like they’re doing something, and then once everyone forgets about it, they’ll just stop. It’s not really enough to control the problem, but it’s a start at least.”
Administrators are aware of these concerns and are working on how to maintain this change after it goes into effect.
“With any policy, with any procedure or system, it has to be reassessed,” Staats said. “So even though there might be subtle changes and adjustments throughout, it should be ongoing and ever growing. That’s how we’re able to see what works, what doesn’t work, and how we can find solutions to keep everybody safe continuously.”
Students believe there is more the school could be doing to ensure every student’s safety.
“I feel like the police officers that are here should be more spread out throughout campus,” Carhart said. “I know the point of them being at the center of Horn is because that’s the main entrance, but most of the time whenever someone breaks into the school, it’s not going to be through there. If something happens outside of campus I feel like the call time for them to get to where they need to is not fast enough from where they are. There should either be more people stationed at different places or have them spread out.”
Teachers like Mrs. Hall also have ideas for more things the school could implement to have better security on campus.
“One thing I would like for us to have is metal detectors that we have students go through, similar to what Forney ISD has,” Hall said. “That’s an added layer of protection every district around us has that we don’t have yet, and I think it’s just time. As much as I hate to admit it, it’s what we call a necessary evil. We have to have these things whether we like it or not.”
The changes administration is bringing to campus will take some getting used to now, but are intended to eventually lead to a safer and happier environment for the future of this campus.
“I think the steps we’re putting in place to help create safety are what’s going to create that positive and safer environment for Horn,” Staats said. “New safety measures, having more personal security guards, and having a clear definition of expectations, as well as accountability for students and staff. The human factor’s always tough. There’s always human mistakes, but I think that with what we’re starting in January we’re going to be able to address, assess, reassess, and implement what’s needed to keep this a safe and happy place.”
