Sep 2012 - Newton Community Schools

Top Story Cardinal Chronicle September 2012
By Ella Daft
About a year
ago, the Newton
Community
School District received
a $311,500 grant from
the Department of Justice,
which has allowed
for some advancements
in the schools’ securities.
One prominent
change is the little
black boxes that lock
all of the doors and
only open to the scan
of a small round key
called an FOB (Frequency
Operated Button.)
Only seniors and
staff have the ability to
obtain these and therefore
have the ability to
come and go as they
please. In order to get
the FOB as a senior,
there is a mandatory
ten dollar deposit that
is given back to the
student once the FOB
is returned at the graduation
ceremony. Aksel
Joy, 2013, thinks
using the FOB is “not
too complicated.”
If a visitor or other
student wishes to access
the building after the
system has locked, they
must press the intercom
button and state his/her
name to be admitted inside.
Bill Peters, principal,
feels the new security
system is doing well.
“I have already seen a
difference in the way
people come and go,”
said Peters. He also feels
6
it’s a step in the right direction
for the district,
stating “we have to be
proactive to prevent future
problems from occurring.”
Some students may
disagree though, as
many instances of the
doors not locking have
been reported. Victoria
Walton, 2013, doesn’t
understand why the
FOBs are necessary
“They haven’t even set
up the system yet, so it’s
really kind of pointless
to waste my ten dollars
on something I’m not
using.” Walton believes
“there’s still kids going
in and out whenever
they want to,” due to
hesitation in fully activating
the system.
Alyssa Eilander,
The 411 on the FOB
2013, finds the FOBs to
be “really convenient.”
Even though she has
only used it on a rare
occasion, she thinks
“it’s really safe because
you hear about all those
schools getting ran into
by crazy parents.” Fewer
unregistered visitors
isn’t the only thing Ei-
lander has noticed, “I
can tell there’s not as
many people sneaking
out.”
Cally Claussen, 2014,
doesn’t feel the same as
Eilander, as she hasn’t
“really noticed a difference
in security here.”
Claussen mentions how
some doors are never
locked and is slightly
confused on why the
system was installed in
the first place: “I guess I
don’t understand exactly
what it’s trying to help,
I mean, I guess I can
understand instead of
having random people
come into the school,
but is that the only reason
they have it? Or is it
to also have people who
skip not be able to come
back?”
Samantha Bailey,
2014, believes the
locked doors aren’t adding
to her feelings of
safety in the high school.
“The security system
wouldn’t get rid of the
doubt I have. A security
system on doors can’t
protect you from bullies,”
Bailey said. She
notes that not enough is
being done and thinks
cameras are the next
thing to add, “I know we
have them in a couple of
places, but we need to
have them in more places,
like school hallways
and classrooms even.”
Several benefits Bailey
brings to the table are
“you could catch people
who are doing the bad
behavior. Say students
get into a fight but you
can’t get names. Or if
somebody gets beat
up, you can catch who
the student was even
if the person doesn’t
know who it was.”
Bryce Romick,
2016, had the initial
reaction of the new
security system being
a “little extreme,”
but when asked about
cameras in schools
he stated, “a lot does
go on and it’s good to
have them.”
Peters seems to
have already heard the
desire for cameras, as
he claims “we have
about a dozen high res
security cameras that
are coming, and they
will be a whole lot
better than the ones we
have now.”
While there are
mixed feelings on the
new security system, the
advancements seem like
they are here to stay, and
while no one wants the
security system to be
needed, only time can
tell if the safety benefits
will outweigh the financial
costs.