TOWAMENCIN-Last week, an article was published on a local news website explaining how North Penn was considering having armed guards at their schools. This article was published after North Penn High School hosted a community outreach program that voiced the concerns of the North Penn community. The article introduced precautions that are being considered for the district. After meeting with the district’s superintendent Dr. Dietrich, I gathered some additional facts of the deliberation of armed guards at North Penn.
When asked about the major facets of the consideration of armed guards, Dietrich explained that it was “brought up at the community outreach forum held last week. It is accurate that it has been considered, but no conclusions have been made.”
Dietrich felt that the overall vibe of the crowd at the community outreach forum was concern for the safety of schools and what is being done to increase the safety of schools.
Dietrich added that “the community appreciated the opportunity to gather at the public forum and talk about public safety and safety of schools”. They also felt appreciative of the safe schools coordinator, which most schools don’t have.
Dietrich went into detail about the changes that are going into effect to increase the safety in schools, specificially elementary school safety as a result of concerned parents reflecting on the Sandy Hook massacre that occurred last month. Dietrich explained that the new idea for elementary school safety has to do with before and after school care.
“Before you could walk in and out to pick up and drop off your child,” he reflected, “but now we’ve secured all the buildings”. He also provided the downsides of this immediate change; teachers and students whom arrive early would have to also get through the locked doors but assured that “we’re taking steps to fix these problems”.
Another idea that the district is considering is giving all schools buzzer systems and swipe card systems. Dietirch clarified that “some schools have them and some don’t. Our schools vary because of some schools have just been renovated with the new technology and some have renovations coming up”
Card swipe systems are given to teachers when they leave and enter their rooms. Again, the downside is staff and students that come in early before the school opens may cause a problem for them because “ it makes it more complicated for people to move about”. What’s more with the buzzer systems, parents who wish to pick up their child must be buzzed in. But according to Dietrich, “these changes are necessary and they are worth it”.
Immediate changes that are being made to ensure school safety are the locking of doors during before and after school care. In addition, the district is giving a “refresher to secretaries” so that they remember to enforce school policies when someone enters a building.
I also asked what Dietrich thought about the security of the high school. Dietrich stated that he met with some high school students last week and they explained how they felt safe at the high school. However, when asked if there is anything that should be considered about their school’s safety, it was the safety of “when students move from one pod to another in the courtyard”. He articulated that he is working with some ideas to make the courtyard safer. He is considering having the doors that lead outside to be unlocked only during transition. He is also weighing the benefits of having a security guard stand at the door leading outside during transition. He also seeks to increase the number of intruder drills per year and for officials at schools to explain to students why we perform intruder drills the way we do them.
My final question for Dr. Dietrich was how he felt about people who sincerely believe armed guards in schools will ensure safety and he replied that he “understands where each side is coming from, but there may an opportunity to have tazers instead of bullets. We can explore different ideas like tazers”. Dietrich also stated that mental health is the “most important factor with safe schools”. He feels that everyone should cooperate if they feel as though a staff member or a student is having problems that could turn into something violent, they should be reported. Dietrich and other school officials will be reviewing more ideas at a school safety board meeting on January 30th.