2205 Forest Drive SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52403 SurveyorWHS@gmail.com Volume 55, Number 1 September 30, 2011
Keyed out: District takes new measures Alyssa Christian Editor-in-Chief In light of current events, schools nationwide look for ways to increase safety. The Cedar Rapids Community School District has decided to do so by transitioning to a new keyless entry system which implicates some changes for students and staff at Washington High School. “The new keyless entry system is a system that allows the doors to be opened or locked remotely from either [the] office or cell phone. What it does is it just makes the school a little bit more secure because it reduces the amount of entry points that anyone can use to gain access to the building,” said Thaddeus Paisar, Wash’s school resource officer. Staff identification cards will now be necessary in order to gain access into the building at times when Wash is unopened. These ID cards were distributed out the staff
members on Thursday, Sept. 8th, McWherter, the newly-hired technol2011. The shift to the new ogy specialist at Wash. security system came about The decision was also affected for varied reasons. by worldwide current events. “The reason that “A lot of it is based on what we’re doing this is not happens outside the school as Washington-initiated, this well in society and the comis a district mandate. But munity. With the rise in threats of in the meetings, they’ve terrorism and things like that, obdecided that this would viously we’ve got to be got to be be better in the longon guard,” said Williams. run; that it would be Williams and Mceasier to once again Wherter believe that manage who enters the new system the building, will cause who should students minor enter the inconveniencbuildes, at most. ing, and at Additionally, what time they the keyless entry should enter the will eliminate any building,” said key distribution. Graphic by Tori Wheeler Rick Williams, “The history The key is obsolete. Wash assistant of taking care of principal, “It’s security in builddefinitely a security measure.” ings has been such that we’ve always Because this changeover was been a key- dominated situation. So district-mandated, the district will with the need of keys, the amount also be paying all expenses associof keys given out, those actually reated with the transition. tained and given back… making sure “It’s very costly, and safety is they don’t fall into the wrong hands a cost,” said Williams in regards to and lost, etc. This new system that the installation. we’re putting in is preventing that The system also offers some kind of situation,” said McWherter. other conveniences to the staff. Keys that were previously “It makes for a very easy used to access athletic facilities outsystem to operate, maintain, and if side of the school day will no longer something were to come up, we can be effective, but Williams does not always remote-in from another locabelieve this will have any negative tion… we’ll be able to do anything impact on the athletic department. that we need to do to facilitate a In regards to any further security circumstance to allow people in, out, measures, Williams believes Wash is or lockdown a building remotely. currently well-outfitted. So, it’s convenient,” said Scott “I, at this time, don’t know of
any plans for the district or Washington High School to increase any security… I think we feel as though we’re pretty well-equipped right now with a police officer on campus, 40 or 50 cameras, three full-time security guards, I think we’re in a pretty good position right now,” said Williams. Although there are no current plans for further security enhancements at Wash, there is speculation about the future. “I believe it’s also an early phase to having students carry ID cards…. to have and gain access into the building as well. I think that’s down the road,” said Williams. Overall, the consensus is that the new keyless entry system will allow for a more effective scholastic environment. “[It will help to] gain security for the building so you as students can come here and learn without fear of someone from the outside coming in and causing harm,” said Paisar.
Inside this Issue n e w s
o p i n i o n s
f o c u s
p r o f i l e s
a & e
s p o r t s
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