The difference between having a normal day at school and having a life altering situation can be decided by something as simple as whether classroom doors are locked.
On September 24 only 34% of the classroom doors with students in them were locked and closed. On November 21 64% of doors were open, but 93% of them were locked in case of needing to be closed due to an emergency. However, LCPS’s Regulation: 6620-REG states that “all interior classroom doors must be locked and closed at all times even when students are not in the buildings.”
Wednesday, September 4 was the date of the tragic killing of four people at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia where reports state that the shooter attempted to enter his math class but was unable to due to the doors automatically closing and locking plus when he knocked a student looked out the door window and saw the weapon and immediately moved away from the door. These two measures saved lives.
Assistant Principal Nicole Maldonado expressed her discomfort with this low percentage and shares that the importance of enforcing this regulation has been repeatedly addressed with faculty. “I think it’s an oversight. I don’t think that teachers mean to do that. I think it might be an oversight, and we need to make it more of something that they do on a daily basis,” Maldonado said.
In response, Principal Dr. John Brewer said, “While safety reigns as our highest priority, high quality instruction remains our primary mission. The tension between our high priority on safety and our primary mission on instruction is created by a locked and closed door that creates a regular source of interruptions in the classroom as students return from the restroom or who arrive late after a dental appointment, just to cite a few examples. This tension often means that the optimal balance between safety and instruction is found in a locked handle and a door slightly ajar.”
In order to reinforce and remind staff of the regulation, Assistant Principal Jamie Braxton has sent several emails to faculty throughout the past school year. Emails sent on March 15th, April 13, and April 20th detail how the classroom door procedures should be handled.
For students, in the case of an emergency, the closed door regulation helps students lessen their anxiety. “The only thing stopping [an intruder] from getting to students is a door [they] could [not] open, if properly prepared,” Jayden Olsen said.
