In the aftermath of the shooting at this school on Feb. 9, school administration implemented security measures and protocols designed to increase safety on campus. One of these procedures is opening the entrance to the school from the student parking lot, next to the stadium, from 7:25 to 7:40 every morning. However, closing these doors at 7:40 a.m. causes students who arrive after the warning bell but before the late bell to be unnecessarily late to class and miss valuable instructional time because they have to walk up to the main office to enter the building.
Closing the lower lot doors at 7:40 a.m. is a new policy that was implemented by this school’s administration after the shooting on Feb. 9, in order to “maintain a secure campus and better support our little Patriots during preschool arrival,” Principal Dr. Joseph Bostic said, referring to children enrolled in the child development program, who arrive after 7:40 a.m. through the lower lot doors. Students who arrive in this lot, which contains the drop-off line and student parking spaces, after 7:40 a.m., must walk around to the front of the building and enter through the main entrance.
The primary issue with the policy of closing the student lot entrance doors at 7:40 every morning is that class does not begin until 7:45, meaning that students who arrive after 7:40 are not technically late to class if they get into their classroom before 7:45. This is a task made significantly more difficult by having to go all the way around to the front of the building, often waiting in long lines of other students to have their ID checked before they go to class.
This is particularly true for seniors and other students who drive themselves, and do not have the option to be dropped off nearer to the front entrance. If a student who drives themselves to school arrives at 7:42, for example, they could likely enter through the lower lot doors and make it to class before 7:45 with any kind of luck. However, having to re-route through the front office greatly increases the likelihood that they will be late, and miss instructional time.
I have personally experienced this scenario multiple times, arriving at school a couple minutes after 7:40 and groaning at the realization that instead of just barely making it to my first period on time, I will be at least five minutes late. Once, I pulled into my parking spot at exactly 7:40, but by the time I got out of the car, despite it still being 7:40, the doors had already been locked. I joined the queue of students waiting to get in through the main entrance and ended up being several minutes late to my first period AP Statistics class, where we were taking a quiz that started promptly at 7:45. Based on the number of students I see arriving at school mere minutes after 7:40 and trudging toward the front doors on a daily basis, I am certain I am not the only student who has missed valuable instructional time in their first period class due to this policy.
The administration should amend the lower lot door policy to keep the lower lot doors open until at least 7:45, which is when the late bell officially rings, a change that would not require additional resources, nor present any safety risk. To reiterate, first period classes do not start until 7:45, not 7:40, which is when the five-minute warning bell rings. The reasoning behind this policy change is safety, but students are able to enter through the lower doors until 7:40, so it doesn’t seem that letting them continue through 7:45 would present any increased risk.
While it may coincide with the arrivals of preschoolers in the child development program, students participating in the program typically stand at the doors to help facilitate these arrivals, so allowing other students to enter through these doors until 7:45, which was allowed prior to Feb. 9, would not interfere greatly with the preschoolers. Additionally, security guards who are typically stationed just inside the doors from 7:25 to 7:40, checking IDs and locking the doors at 7:40, frequently remain stationed there after 7:40 to enforce this policy and redirect students toward the main doors. So, it would not seem to require any redirection of resources to have them continue to check IDs through 7:45, since they are often already there for the additional five minutes.
Ultimately, the policy of locking the lower lot doors at 7:40 can cause students to miss valuable instruction or time by making them unnecessarily late to class. Concerns about safety are understandable after the shooting, but by extending the time that these doors remain open until 7:45, we can retain the increased security of this policy while making it more efficient for students.
The administration will “collect student, parents, and staff voice data to collect feedback” in preparation for the 2026-2027 school year, and “continue to have focus group meetings,” to understand this feedback, Dr. Bostic said.
