Everything is about give and take, we’ve all grown up with the concept. Without compromise, nothing would ever get done or improve. At LHS, we all need to compromise for the sake of everyone’s safety. Although it can be a burden to go through so many security measures, isn’t the purpose worth it?

   Recently, LHS has made several major security changes supported by the school board.

   “LHS, along with every other school in the district, has been equipped with the new system that runs an instant background check on every visitor that enters the school during school hours,” director of safety and security Gary Majors said. “The background check identifies anyone on a sexual offenders list as well as anyone on the districts No Trespassing list and instantly notifies both school administrators and security that this person has attempted to gain entry into our school. Other changes have been made to the deployment of our mobile security staff that results in a quicker response time to calls for service at the schools. Campus security officers have also had their duties modified to include maintaining a visible presence inside the school during lunch times and to conduct a physical check of exterior doors on a more frequent basis.”

   These changes not only result in extra security detail, but also more order and organization.

   “With the changes, visitors that haven’t been here before know that they’re immediately with someone, whereas beforehand, they were in kind of an open area and didn’t know where they needed to go to check­in,” attendance secretary Michelle Dickey said. “So right now they’re forced into the attendance office and we immediately help them.”

   Even though the idea of change can be a bit unnerving, when it regards safety at LHS it is always made with the best intentions.

   “The changes are intended to further increase our ability to provide a safe and secure atmosphere that is conducive to a positive learning environment,” Majors said.

   Sophomore Tucker Evans expressed his concerns with the new security ­related alterations.

   “I do feel safer,” he said. “Although, because you can still walk through the main doors and if a person was trying to break in, they could easily just go through the second set of doors without going through the attendance office, but yes, for some people they might feel safer with the new attendance office.”

   When Evans expressed the idea that a visitor can get into LHS without going through the attendance office, we decided to follow up with district safety officer John Neldon to see if this was true. Neldon explained that the second set of doors locks at 8:15 a.m. which forces all visitors through the attendance office. Both the staff and the student body are grateful for the recent changes.

   “I do feel safe at school. It does seem like a nuisance when it’s like really cold outside and you just want to get in as quickly as possible but our building is taking extra precautions to make sure that everyone comes here is coming here to learn and not be harmed or anything like that,” junior Dana Bartch said. “So I am grateful that our school is doing that, so while it kind of seems annoying at times, I understand where they’re coming from and I appreciate that.”

   Some students feel that some of the long­lasting security details need a few tweaks and adjustments.

   “Yeah I think active shooter drills are good, but I feel like a lot of times they aren’t done right because a lot of times teachers walk by and shake the door handle and a lot of times it comes open and if that were real, you’re done,” freshman Jane Sundell said.

   The first step of 100 percent safety is being a community aware of its surroundings. Repetition, practice and having the right precautions in place follows.

   “If a shooter came in, honestly I wouldn’t feel prepared at all. I wouldn’t really know what to do,” Bartch said. “I think we have drills once or twice a year and I don’t think that’s enough. I think there needs to be a lot more just so that we’re prepared.”

      With these new additions, a better representation of LHS follows.

   “Long­term effects we just hope that it help keeps the school safe and keeps the students and faculty safe and that’s the number one concern,” Neldon said. “Short­term effects are that everybody knows if you come to LHS we have resources and a place to protect the students from the system we have in place, to our off­-duty Liberty police officers who drive the lot, to our off­-duty state troopers that are in the building, to officer Corum who rotates around buildings, I think that you should feel safe when you come to school because we have a presence of safety here in this building.”

   Just like the mindset of continuous improvement in the classroom, LPS is always looking for different ways to get better.

   “With all these changes that are put into place we review and consider if the change has been positive. After a careful review we can then tweak, modify or totally change directions if warranted,” Majors said. “We are always looking at procedures, technology and process that can improve what we do.”

   The practice of safety doesn’t stop at the school board and the security department, it also needs the aid of students. Students and the faculty need to be serious during drills, follow the protocol rules and continuously be aware of different safety plights to find an equal compromise.