From IDs, to dress code to practices in door safety, new rules come and go when it comes to a new school year. School safety and security is an essential factor for many schools across the country and Allen High School is no different.
“Security is something that we take very seriously, it’s something that has a lot of effort and energy into it,” principal Matt Russell said. “It’s our number one priority for us — and we need [students] to do their parts. As little as wearing your ID, and not being in places which you aren’t supposed to be.”
Some rules are created by the state legislature and directives from the district. These rules are set in place with the goal to create a safe environment for everyone.
“There are always small changes made so everything is safer,” security supervisor Eleanor Weaver said last May in an interview, “But big things like having your ID’s, that’s going to be the same, only coming in specific doors such as the main entrance, tear-drop, PAC or down at the athletics. You can really only come in a door where a security officer is, and it’s for your and everyone else’s safety. Those are the two things I think everyone is wondering about.”
There will be a “grace” period before school starts, and during the first two weeks, Allen ISD will announce all the new updated rules for the 2023-24 year.
“I want kids to realize what we are asking from them,” Weaver said. “Their IDs and what doors they can come in and out of may not seem important to them at the time, or may not seem like a big deal, but for those of us who are responsible for the safety of everyone in this building, to us it is [important]. We don’t necessarily have ‘eyes,’ we don’t know if you’re supposed to be in this building, we don’t know if you’ve been suspended or if you’re causing a threat. It might seem inconvenient but there is a reason for it and I think that’s the biggest thing that I would like to see change — that the students realize that we don’t do this just to be rude, mean or to inconvenience you. There is a reason behind it.”
For the new year, there are a few rules that are fresh to the campus. One of those rules is regarding ID’s.
“So you have to wear your ID, and this year they are cracking down on the fact that it’s around your neck,” Weaver said. “You will not be allowed in the building without your ID. Last year if you were coming in from the teardrop where the buses are we would have let you walk across but the administration has changed that policy. Too many people got ‘lost’ between the back and front door, so this year you are not allowed in. You will have to go outside and walk all around the building to get to the front.”
Another rule that Allen introduced is its “clear bag policy” at sporting events.
“They announced that all football games next year will have clear bag policies, and I probably see that going to all the other events,” said Richard Garayua, Police Sergeant and School Resource Officer.
The only bags allowed into Eagle Stadium for this year are a clear tote, clear plastic storage bag and a clear or unclear small clutch purse.
“My best recommendation is to get a clear drawstring bag, you’re still not going to be able to bring a bag into the student section so it won’t really affect the students for the games, but if you’re just sitting in the stands then drawstring bags,” Weaver said.
Along with school security guards, SROs also help out with keeping Allen safe. This year, there are two new SROs on campus.
“Day to day we are in charge of security,” SRO Matthew Johnson said. “So we are in charge of student and staff security, any potential threats, but also we are in a law enforcement role in the school. We are mentors and counselors to students, we are teachers at times and we are also law enforcement. We are all trained to be SROs and to be there for children who need others. We all went to high school, and we offer guidance to kids. We all work the streets like normal police officers so for us to come here, it gives us the ability to share some experiences with students.”
The SROs said they are trying to educate students on situational awareness this year.
“We are here at the will of the school, however, the teachers want to involve us,” Johnson said. “Obviously there’s a lot of people who may not want to think about what happens when a school shooting occurs, and there are people who want to know what to do when a school shooting happens themselves and be trained. So there’s a fine line — we don’t want to scare anyone, but we want to educate them on situational awareness.”
