Administration enacted a new after-school security policy this year regarding how students are required to enter the building. Students who wish to enter from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. must do so through the athletic wing; the main entrance becomes accessible anytime after 5:30. Returning students should present their ID to the security guard upon entry, and sign in if indicated, but any outside visitors should sign the clipboard.

   High School Principal Tony Aquilio said “School day security is incredibly tight. You have to go through buzzers and ID checks. But as soon as 2:30 hits…all the activities see people coming and going.” 

   The high school’s size often permitted students to wander the halls after the school day, outside guests to access the facility, and all to enter and exit through the various entrances from the band hall to the nurse’s office. This loose security was the primary cause for the recent enforcement. Administration also expressed their desire for students to still feel welcomed in their own school.

   “We don’t want students to feel like outsiders and sign a clipboard,” said Aquilio. “Just show ID and go to [the] activity, while we keep everyone who shouldn’t be here, out.”

   Administration also stated that the reception to the policy has been positive; it set a local precedent for safety. Despite initial apprehension, Aquilio said “[outside guests] have been very compliant because they feel safer.”

  

   Jen Haberberger, the sponsor of the Penn-Trafford Drama Guild, said enforcement of the policy has been “more strict”, but also added that the guild itself “[lays] it out pretty strictly that you stay in your area,” according to the mandatory contract. 

   The policy, while designed to accommodate the schedules of each sport and club (with the athletic wing open at 2:30 p.m. when most practices occur, and the main entrance at 5:30 p.m. when rehearsals typically begin), has occasionally presented a minor hindrance.

   “I was at the door letting people in. Which meant for 30 minutes, I missed important meeting times with the director before rehearsal,” said Haberberger. Indoor sporting events have further caused confusion on behalf of students. 

   “When there’s a sporting event, gates are down. [It’s an] obstacle course through the building and kids can go anywhere defeating the purpose,” stated Haberberger. 

   Students have grown accustomed to the recent change, however, and understand the importance of improved safety protocols. Despite the “minor nuisance,” Haberberger stated that she “does what she’s told to make it safer for everybody.”