One of the most important aspects of school is safety.

When a parent sends their child into the school building, they put their trust in the school’s administration and staff to keep their children safe. 

In a study from 2018, according to the Center For Homeland Defense and Security, a total of 51 students were killed and 107 were wounded in school shooting incidents. That same study reported that in 2022, the number of students killed decreased to 50, but the number of students wounded rose to 111. 

“You never know what’s going to happen, you never know when a real situation happens how people are going to react,” explained Mr. Jeffery Sodl, principal of Stroudsburg High School. “Every situation is different, so you can train as much as you want, you can drill as much as you want, but there are no guarantees.”

As the frequency of school shootings has increased, so has the improvement of equipment provided to school districts. Within recent years, Stroudsburg School District has added a tool known as the Nightlock to its previous safety procedures. 

The Nightlock uses the floor’s strength to withstand tremendous force, thus acting as an extra lock to the doors of the classrooms. When discussing lockdown procedures in their classes, students are taught how to use the Nightlock in case of an emergency. 

“Many classrooms have windows, these windows are breakable and allow intruders to break them, reach in, and unlock the door,” said Joe Taylor, an employee of Nightlock on Nightlock.com. “Nightlock is an extra step of protection against this weak spot. Once in place, it keeps the door locked and cannot be reached since it connects to the floor.” 

Last week, Stroudsburg High School completed its lockdown drill, however, this time was different. While the students and staff were hiding and going through their normal protocols for the drill, the fire alarm went off. The alarm acted as a test for both teachers and students.

“I believe this is a great way to keep everyone on their toes because an intruder can choose to pull the fire alarm as a distraction,” says Kayla Gerard, 12. “The intruders would create confusion among students and teachers and as they leave the classroom, they’ll be easy targets.”

The staff at Stroudsburg are trained in a program known as ALICE. The program focuses on the five key responsibilities when in a lockdown; Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate. This program helps the staff understand the best way to successfully evacuate and keep students safe. It helps teachers provide students with advice if this situation happens.

“Just remain calm and look out for each other, make sure everyone is doing the right thing,” expressed Mr. James Bruski, “Treating it somewhat seriously, as opposed to goofing off and messing around is important as well.” 

With the extensive training of staff, the awareness of the students, and the equipment provided for the school, Stroudsburg is a secure and safe location for students to go to school. The district values the safety of its students just as much as parents do.

Stroudsburg’s School Resource Officer (SRO) and security staff put their extensive training to the test on October 30, 2023, when a student and his mother entered the school for a meeting with the administration. The student had a warrant for his arrest about a downtown shooting several months ago. 

With this information, the SHS security staff worked effectively to take the student into custody without interruption of the school day. Upon being searched, the student was found to have a stolen handgun. 

Thanks to the Stroudsburg security staff, fellow students were kept safe and none the wiser. This is a perfect example of the procedures Stroudsburg follows to keep its students safe.