Plugging the leaks

Northview enhances security policies to keep students safe

Graphic by Kevin Xiang, Copy/Multimedia Editor

Katelyn Wu, Staff Writer & Kevin Xiang, Copy/Multimedia Editor

As Northview begins its school year, the administrators implemented more stringent policies to ensure that students are safe in school. These policies include ensuring doors remain locked throughout the day, adding a more advanced identification system, as well as banning any recording of individuals without consent, and mandating clear bags at sporting events.

Recent gun violence events throughout the country sparked a greater emphasis on ensuring the school is safe, as a security oversight led to the catastrophic Uvalde, Texas school shooting.

“All it takes is one [person] with a gun who bought that gun legally, apparently, to show up and find the door ajar and then there’s a gunman in the school,” Michael Martin, a social studies teacher at Northview, said.

Fulton county installed door alarms at schools that will sound when someone opens the door improperly. Northview administrators will also lock the second set of doors at the front of the building so that visitors compulsorily check-in. Martin Neuhaus, Northview’s new principal, is hiring campus security associates, and one of their roles will be to perform background checks on visitors.

“The superintendent has provided funds so every school would have at least one campus security associate,” Neuhaus said. 

Northview has also hired a school resource officer, Chris Ellis, to protect the students. As a certified police officer with 18 years of experience, he takes charge of keeping the entire school safe. His responsibilities include locking the doors, patrolling school property, as well as dealing with criminal acts at school. 

“I think every school in this day and age needs at least one armed police officer,” Martin said. “[They should be] highly trained, like a former Navy SEAL or a SWAT team [member].”

Another security measure implementation occurred at the front office. Visitors must now scan their IDs using a new interface called Raptor. It confirms that visitors are not on sex offender databases as well as other background checks. 

“There's definitely a lot more added security measures because I believe in previous years, we didn't really have to ask people what they're doing,” Christie Peng, a senior who works at the front office, said.

Following new protocol, Peng even had to confirm Brian Downey, Northview’s former principal, as an allowed visitor before letting him into the building. In addition, all Fulton employees must now wear issued badges to confirm their identity. 

This year, Fulton County also implemented policies that prohibit phones during class and any recording or photography of others without consent.

“I think that’s beneficial, especially students recording students because it can’t be used as bullying,” Martin said. “Bullying is often seen as an underlying agitator, instigator, stimulus or motivator of people who become shooters because they’ve been humiliated or bullied.”

Peng, however, raises the point that most recordings and social media posts at school are completely harmless, and she dislikes being unable to use her phone during class.

“I do think that we should be allowed to have our phones in class and not put them up just in case there's a family emergency or your parent needs to reach you,” Peng said. “And sometimes we also need to use our phones for school assignments.”

The last new policy that Northview enacted this year is a mandate requiring clear backpacks at football games, which was not created by Northview nor Fulton County, but by the Georgia High School Association which governs the athletic activities for member schools. 

“It's just a preventative way to make sure people aren't bringing things into the stadium,” Neuhaus said. “I think half of the battle is making sure people know [we’re]paying attention.” 

 Others argue that following this policy may not be attainable for all students. 

 “I do understand why,” Peng said. “The problem is not everyone has a clear backpack.” 

While the new policies may be a nuisance to some, Fulton County implemented them to keep students safe. With the current environment, administrators must make that tradeoff.

“I don’t think any measure is too severe,” Martin said.