Last week showed all of us how unsafe our school really is.
On Jan. 9, the building was placed in stay-put status during Crew due to rumors that an intruder had entered. These rumors spread immediately after students fought in a first-floor hallway. Another fight took place in the cafeteria shortly after the stay-put order was lifted.
On Jan. 11, two trespassers were arrested at the high school after entering through an unsecured door, walking to the cafeteria and assaulting students in the senior lounge. On Jan. 12, students attended asynchronous learning as the district’s administrative team, faculty and staff spent the day reviewing these events and developing plans to address them.
It’s great that parents, administrators and students finally realize the severity of the problem, but we all need to recognize that security problems are nothing new. In November, students were sent home early after administrators confiscated a handgun from a student. In September, spectators were prohibited at a football game due to a threat. Last May, a student was arrested for holding another student in a chokehold in a high school restroom.
These incidents received attention beyond the high school, but they are far from the only examples of violence or the prospect of it. It feels like fights occur almost daily at the high school, as any student could tell you, so we’re glad to see this week’s effort to enforce security measures. But it’s worth noting that previous attempts have fizzled out when administrators did not hold students accountable.
The last two years, administrators started school with strong messaging about the ID policy, requiring students to display their ID at all times. “I’ve directed security to stop me if I come into the building without a badge,” Principal Eric Juli told The Shakerite in September 2022.
Students largely ignored the requirement and saw no consequences. If students had actually been required to wear their IDs last week, it would have been much more obvious to security when two intruders walked through the high school on their way to assault students in the cafeteria.
It’s unsurprising that students previously flouted the rule, given that the district has issued IDs since 1997 without requiring students to wear them. On paper, students have only had to display them since the district updated the student handbook in 2018.
According to Juli, going forward, no student will be allowed to enter the building without wearing an ID, and any student discovered without an ID will be removed from the building. Students also may not be issued a hall pass if they are not wearing their ID. These rules are a step in the right direction, but only if they are backed up with enforcement.
Thursday, students were given IDs and lanyards during Crew, and teachers and security guards enforced the ID policy. As a result, almost every student was visibly wearing their ID throughout the day. This is a great start, but it will only be effective if it continues. Teachers and security guards need to continue enforcing the ID policy, but more importantly, students need to get into the habit of wearing them.
Our school lacks a culture of safety, which we need to foster in order to stop close calls from continuing. So far, no one has died. Next time, we might not be so lucky. The Jan. 11 intrusion could have been much worse, as it was in Uvalde, Texas when a gunman entered Robb Elementary School through an unlocked door in May 2022 and murdered 19 students and two teachers.
Minimal steps toward establishing that culture should be enacted and normalized immediately:
Everyone in the building should understand that if they see someone who is not wearing an ID, no matter what, they need to report it. That person must be treated as an active threat until it is proven otherwise.
If a door opens during the school day without a staff member scanning their ID or security buzzing someone in, alarms should sound, and whoever opened the door should see disciplinary action.
If administrators have reason to believe there is an intruder, the building should immediately be locked down, which should have happened Jan. 11.
Students who assault others at school should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Law enforcement should be involved immediately, no matter what. Suspension or expulsion proceedings should begin shortly thereafter. Until students realize that fighting at school will result in severe consequences, these persistent fights will not end.
Our security team is not nearly large enough to enforce these requirements, however. The district needs to prioritize expanding it, no matter the cost, as quickly as they can find qualified candidates. In the meantime, the Shaker Heights Police Department must expand their presence in the building to help fill the gaps.
There are infinite other possible options — with varying levels of cost, complexity, and consequences — from metal detectors to cell phone restrictions. They are all worthy of consideration. However, we can’t wait for a safety committee to spend months holding meetings and weighing every possible solution.
Most importantly, the superintendent, Dr. David Glasner, and the Board of Education must not give in to adults in the community who are attempting to undermine these important safety measures through social media and email criticisms. Parents, too, must reinforce with their children the importance of contributing to the high school’s safety, rather than arguing against it.
Everyone must help make this building as safe as it can be.
