According to Officer Paul Struckel, the new School Resource Officer here at NKHS, after a major incident like this, the atmosphere will change quickly in the country. “Students and staff become more alert and aware of their surroundings.” There is no question that he is correct here. You can see it every time the fire alarm goes off, students and staff alike wondering if it is just a mere drill, or something far more serious.

As of March 24th, there have already been 17 school shootings in the United States. That’s 12 weeks into the year, which averages out to 1.8 shootings per week. Since the 2013 Sandy Hook shootings, there have been 290 school shootings in the United States.

“School safety and security measure also get reexamined”, according to Officer Struckle, after a major event like this. This was proven, when Vice Principal Sweet held an assembly last week for all grades, talking about the new security measures being installed. One of the most noticeable of these would be the new metal handheld metal detector.

“We opted to buy a handheld metal detector to have as a precautionary safety measure,” says Vice Principal Sweet. They will also be using it to more easily locate hidden vaping devices in a more efficient measure.

One of the other decisions that was made by the staff was the clearing of part of the first floor in the morning. This was because of a couple of reasons, the primary one being that it was becoming overcrowded, and students with disabilities did not have a clear path for classroom access. It had also become an issue for staff to enter the building.

Police adjust to deliver more effective responses after an event like this, in Struckel’s opinion. School Officials are consistently working to improve security, as these procedures are always evolving. They are emphasizing promotion of timely communication between staff, students, and police.

Along with all these new security changes, we have also seen a largely successful student led march here at NK, in support of the Parkland victims. Officer Struckel says that he “Admired the respectfulness of participants, delivery of their message and camaraderie”. It was emphasized by the staff that the walk-out was completely optional, and each individual student’s choice whether or not to take part.