Inside H-F’s safety evolution following the recent incident involving a weapon on campus, the school has found itself at the center of a difficult discussion.
How safe is safe enough? For students, parents and administrators, the challenge goes into making a place of learning into a secure environment without exchanging the open, welcoming culture at H-F especially in terms of education.
Since Jan. 16, administration has moved very quickly with expanding security measures.
“We use a hybrid strategy that includes both proactive and reactive measures to ensure our campuses remain safe. This means focusing on prevention, while also being fully prepared to respond effectively when situations arise,” Principal Clinton Alexander stated in an email.
This means that as soon as a perceived threat is present, there’s security on stand-by and very cautious measures that are taken to make sure students are safe.
Besides the increased presence of security personnel, there are newly installed safety gates in the parking lots.
In the North Building, they are applying metal detector systems.“We are in the process of implementing a state-of-the-art weapons detection system. These measures are ongoing and continue to be enforced,” Alexander said.
According to security guard Sean Mosby, “We also have a vigorous process of identifying everybody, we have CCTVs and we make sure that we do our due diligence in reference to any outside external, as well as internal situations.”
On top of having a good security system, the administration has upgraded to more extensive cautionary measures.
However, security is as much about student behavior as it is about the new technology installed, as H-F is balancing the need for a quick and clear action, with the want to prevent any panic amongst the students requires reliable trained staff.
Alexander emphasized that their security team relies on professional pedigree and a lot of preparation to maintain order within the security staff.
“Our safety and security officers are trained to respond to emergencies with precision and composure. Much of their training comes from prior or current law enforcement experience,” Alexander said. “At the school level, they also follow clearly defined standard operating procedures designed to ensure efficient responses while maintaining a calm environment. We also provide ongoing school-related training.”
