Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Ideas? We need to keep every student safe.

One of my friends who is an elementary school teacher told me the Miami Dade Police Department wants Miami Dade County Schools to lock the doors to protect the students. The Miami Dade Fire Department told her this is a bad idea in case of a large fire. There has to be a solution which will cost money, and so what. Our children should be safe. If the school system would place an alarm system that unlocks itself at the first sign of heat or smoke, is an option. Braddock High School locks all doors when their school is in session, and students have to pass through the office to attend class if their even late a few minutes. One area of the school has an entrance and exit for all students plus factuality. I used to climb in through the back class room window, and sneak into my homeroom chair at Southwest High School. Then my son spoke of a situation where he did the same thing. I asked him is this was the front class room in wing C. He said yes and look surprised. The point is, the windows didn’t lock and needed repair. Does anyone have further suggestions how we can improve school safety in all levels of education?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like Braddock's solution. Students, staff & visitors need color coded ID tags - no admission unless worn. Restrict access points and put metal detectors in front of those portals. The student body usually knows which kids are the wierd ones and there needs to be a way to encourage them to report things and people who make them uneasy, no matter how vague the feeling is!

RANGER said...

Isn't it amazing when you find out about what your teens were up to, back in the day?

Someone I used to work with used to say that he could make the university campus totally secure but that no one would like it.

He explained further that meant perimeter fences with restricted access points, metal detectors, monitoring cameras, vehicle inspection and issuing ID to be worn at all times, etc.

His model of safety resembles a prison, no?

Zeta said...

Yes, but a little aggravation can save students the heart ache of losing a classmate. As I walked to my car after class last night, my thoughts went to the parents who had to drive their child’s car off campus or gather their belongings from the dorms. This could have been prevented, and how we wish…the check points and prison surroundings are looking better and better.

Anonymous said...

When I was at Southwest, I snuck out of a window in C-Wing too. Out, not in though.

Anonymous said...

Confession is good for the soul, so they say. I think there is one more SW student with something to say on the sneaking out matter.

On the matter of sneaking back in, did you know that there was a window in the office that the student helpers were as apt to use to come and go as the door? Oh, yeah - I saw them do it and Mrs. Noboa never said boo to them?

Zeta said...

LOL, wait until I tell ST that his cousin used the same Southwest window exchange as we did, but in the other direction.
Southwest expanded their office space towards the cafeteria and kept the old section of the office the same. Yes, they even kept the same windows.
No way, I was not aware of the office window being used by the office helpers. I had to always use the office doors to walk back to my car which is on the opposite side of the parking area. Mrs. Noboa gave us guidance plus support when I was the Band President and my hubby was the Vice-President.

RANGER said...

Wow, there are major security openings at Southwest. Who knew? Obviously not me!

Big Ed said...

I would never skip a day out of class. Nor have I ever tried.

Zeta said...

Ed, I was sneaking into class since I am not a morning person, and a few more precious minutes of sleep seemed important at the time. ST. is not a morning either, and he was also sneaking into class. Better than a one-hour detention, and a mark on the record with tardiness. With classes of concert and marching band; it was easy to get an excuse pass from class. Technically, I was avoiding a few of my classes legally with an excuse notice from the band room. ST. went to the dentist during concert band class since he found this time slot easy to use. I discovered this when I went to look for him to ask a question about a fund raiser we were doing. One of the band students whispered this in my ear. “Oh”, was my response, “he actually went to the dentist”, “OK.” I was please he went to the dentist, just concerned about the time slot he had made for his appointment. Yes, I also used the classroom window to sneak out of class during homeroom. McDonalds (before they moved) was just a few minutes away, and I needed have breakfast at some point and time in the morning.