Batten the hatches, lock the door!

Batten the hatches, lock the door!

Woody Battle, Staff Writer

In order to make every classroom identical and efficient, the newest classrooms at Stroudsburg High School have come fully furnished with a smart board, compatible stereo system, and a long walk thrown in — education with a hint of exercise.

This year, all teachers are required to lock the doors to their classrooms, making it impossible for any person to enter the room unless the door is opened for them from the inside. ByAi??locking all the doors, our school is highly safe, in case any serious intruders attempts to enter.

ai???The safety measures taken are a minor inconvenience to class but are worth much more towards our health and safety and are certainly necessary,ai??? said English teacher Mr. Richard Mell.

Due to the completion of the renovations it is much easier to thoroughly ensure the security of the high school.

ai???It used to be extremely difficult to administer room keys to all the substitute teachers in the old building but it is much easier with the teacher I.D. key pads,ai??? said principal Mr. Jeffrey Sodl.

Will the internal door locking policy go away anytime soon?

ai???Absolutely not, the policy is here to stay,ai??? Said Sodl.

The new high school boasts every safety feature possible. Ai??One must pass tight security measures to enter the high school. Ai??Once a visitor safely enters the building, he or she is entering a safe school environment. Ai??Despite these safety measures, teachers are still required to lock their classroom doors at all times. Ai??Is this additional safety measure really necessary?

Sure, one more lock in a building is safer, but that lock happens to be on a classroom. Ai??This safety measure presents more inconveniences and disruptions to the educational process than most people realize.

In some classrooms, students are often standing up in the middle of lessons to open the locked doors.

ai???I’ve been asked many times to stop working to get the door and I do it every time,ai??? said senior Stephanie Georgia.

In some classrooms, the teacher feels responsible for opening the door, and in other classrooms, students near the door open it up. Ai??Either way, the action disrupts the class

ai???It is annoying waiting for a teacher to travel all the way across the room for the door then try and keep teaching,” said senior Kirsten Henning, “on the other side it’s awkward standing outside of the door waiting for someone to get the door while the whole class is staring at you.”

ai???During the day when I have chorus and weai??i??re singing thereai??i??s no way we know when someoneai??i??s at the door because we canai??i??t hear them,”Ai??said chorus director Ms. Janis Lee. “The students right next to the door canai??i??t hear either.ai???

What about the relation to activities? Stroudsburg has more than 50 after school activities.

ai???A custodian asked me if I wanted the outside door unlocked for the students who are coming to rehearsal and I said no because we have a system worked out with our phones so we know when to open it and this doesnai??i??t compromise the safety of the buildingai??? said Lee.

AnotherAi??safety feature in the classroom is the telephone. Ai??This venerable device and its location in the classroom also need to be re-evaluated.Ai??Some say the phones are right next to the door in case thereai??i??s an emergency in the hallway. Ai??A staff member or student could quickly reach for it. Ai??On second thought: Ai??no they can’t; the door is locked.

Another concern is that in many classrooms, the telephones are hooked up in the corner of the classroom furthest from the teacher’s desk. Ai??It literallyAi??takes a teacher 6-16 seconds to walk to the telephone.

Teachers and students are strongly advised not to prop open the doors that lead outside of the building. It is also advised not to open the door to the classroom for late students and for them to go to the office or bring back a pass.

The safety of each student is a necessity. Perhaps the lengths we go to to create a safe environment should be open for discussion. Ai??Ultimately, in the end, we all want the same formula: Ai??the safest, most educational environment possible.