At the start of a new school year, school administration has implemented new protocols to ensure the safety of students during school.
These changes encompass a variety of concerns including not only physical changes around the school, but new training for teachers on mental health and what to do in crisis situations as well.
“There are a few mechanical things that we’ve done, like, physical changes in the campus,” Assistant Principal Tim McFadden said in regards to the campus.
Because of the sensitive nature of some of these changes, the faculty has elected to keep them private for safety purposes.
In light of the Aug. 25 shooting at the Choctaw vs Del City High School football game, the school has enacted new safety protocols.
“Some of the biggest things that are going to be changing are some of the guidelines and policies for athletics as far as entry into games and things like that,” Master Sergeant Chris Lambert said. “They’re still in the process of making them, but we’ll start to see a little different look at the entrance gates explaining the new bags and things like that.”
Students should be on the lookout for signs and other communications presented outside of the athletic fields for the latest information on entrance regulations and guidelines, the most important of which being that students can no longer exit the stadium of a game and freely re-enter.
You can find the current guidelines for athletic events here.
The school has also provided new training for teachers on dealing with mental health, as well as what to do in crisis situations.
“School safety really starts in the community,” McFadden said. “If someone is really disgruntled and concerned, most likely you as students are going to see that first.”
McFadden advises students to be aware of their fellows, and if someone notices a peer struggling, to try to get them the help that they need. Additionally, the teachers were provided with more awareness training, and more access to contact counselors about student’s mental health to keep them updated on the wellbeing of the school community.
“We’re all partners in this role of the community whether it’s me as administrator or you guys as students, and we all have to be that person for others,” McFadden said. “We’ve got to take care of each other, understanding that we’re imperfect people bumping up against imperfect people who have to deal with hard situations. So if we watch out for each other, if we’re honest with each other, then we make for a healthier, safer community.”
