After the emotional turmoil of last year, Cleveland High School has greatly increased its security. During the summer break, resources have been allocated to hire new Campus Safety Associates (CSAs) to protect the school and its skeptical students. In a time of great uncertainty and fear, the job most overlooked becomes the most important. This increases the amount of CSAs from two to four, doubling Cleveland’s effort to ensure people feel safe within its walls.
The other noticeable change is the commitment to student ID checks throughout the day. This is part of the administration’s initiative to not allow unknown persons into the building without fierce scrutiny.
“It’s pretty hard to enter the building without having your ID checked,” said senior Camille Burgoine.
In the past, students were allowed to enter the building with a choice between their ID and StudentVue on their phone. However, this year the school is moving away from this option.
“I think the whole physical ID thing is kind of ridiculous, they’re penalizing students for not having their ID card, […] even though StudentVue is just as secure,” said junior Drew Sykes.
Additionally, students were promised other security measures like new cameras and upgrades to interior door locks near the end of last year. However, the cameras have yet to be installed, and there are still many classrooms that do not have the new door locks installed.
Vice Principal Danielle Cota blamed “project managers” for the door lock timeline. The Clarion called and left a message for the district facilities director to get a comment, but had not heard back as of press time.
Presently, students like Burgoine are content.
“I feel like we have a fair amount of security around [campus],” she said. However, there is still some doubt. “I haven’t seen any of it implemented yet. So I don’t know if it will all actually happen, or if it’s just kind of talk.”
Jun Jie Lin, a sophomore, has a similar perspective. “I think [the security measures are] way better than last year, right now. I would say that we need some more security guards here because of what happened last year,” he said.
This is a popular sentiment among students. “I understand [why new security measures haven’t been quickly realized], but it is kind of disappointing,” said Iris Khatra, a fellow senior.
Students attribute the prison-like nature to the gates, the strict ID routine, and the security guards.
Yassin Ali, a junior, is content but pessimistic. “I’d say it’s decent so far. Effective. I think it’s just for the first couple of weeks, first month after it hits, when people get comfortable, then it’s not gonna be as effective. Right now they’re taking it too serious. They’re trying to make it a jail.”
Sykes hasn’t noticed a palpable difference in school culture. “I mean, there’s more security guards. So it definitely feels a little a little different outside. Inside it feels exactly the same,” he said.
One of the biggest security discussions, however, has been the idea of introducing School Resource Officers, commonly known as SROs. These are not private contractors like the CSAs are, but instead are members of the police department. In most instances, SROs are introduced after a major incident to deter future threats. As of right now, there is no evidence that Cleveland will implement SROs into their security structure, but we should not discount the efforts and effectiveness of the CSAs currently on campus.
Khatra is satisfied with the CSAs. “I don’t like the idea of putting police in school. I feel like that’s just gonna freak everyone out. Police have bias, and that doesn’t seem like a good idea. I do like verification that people are actually students here, but I like the CSAs. I’d definitely rather have more of them than a police officer. While having an officer in here might, on one hand, be safer—I feel like we’re not having so many security breaches that that’s necessary,” she said.
Sykes is firm in his stance. “No cops in schools. I don’t believe in cops in schools. I think it’s never gonna be a solution. I think it always ends in discrimination and not a safe environment for schools. Even the CSAs can be a little bit questionable. There have definitely been racial disparities in how they treat their students, but I think putting higher security guards, especially with weapons, in a school is never a good idea,” he said.
With a lot of unanswered questions from the entire student base, administration was forced to respond. As of Sept. 26, 2023, Cota said, “We are waiting on camera installations to happen around campus. When they are installed there will be approximately 20-30 cameras across campus.”
While students hope that this will happen quickly, in correspondence with the 2020 school bond, administration has provided students with no timeline.
Last year, the Clarion interviewed Principal Wadkins about Cleveland security: Cleveland Security and Community Responsibility: The Principal Speaks. At the time, there were newly placed gates and a set plan for additional camera installations, but there was no timeline for cameras or further security updates. This year, there is still no time-bound plan for cameras, door locks, or other safety equipment. Additionally, Cota mentioned the required visibility of school ID cards on campus–though this has not been consistently observed in the hallways.
Ultimately, it is up to the student body to decide whether they feel safe and protected with the current measures.