By Jay Carroll
Staff Writer
With recent shootings at a mall in Portland, Ore. and Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, many parents and students have started to wonder if walking around school is safe anymore.
Coppell High School has School Resource Officers, also known as SROs to the students and faculty. The job of the SROs is to keep the students safe from harm and prevent incidents such as theft and fights.
“While [there are] outside threats such as shootings and suspicious people walking into the building, we are worried about the smaller scale issues such as thefts and fights,” CHS student resource officer Rachel Freeman said.
The SROs have not changed anything since the recent shootings in Newtown, Conn. and the mall in Portland, Ore. They still use the same protocol that we have been using, the red card/green card system, which is what we use during fire drills and lock downs.
Some students still feel safe within the confines of CHS because of the number of SROs and teachers who look out over the hallways during passing periods and classes.
“I feel safe in Coppell High School because I always see SROs and teachers walking around the halls keeping a close eye on everyone,” junior Christian Reyna said.
Along with the SROs and administration, many students wonder if Genaro Lopez, who patrols the parking lot during school hours, is a part of the school’s security.
“Mr. Lopez does parking only,” officer Freeman said. “He handles any parking issues; that includes citations, boots and all other parking issues.”
The SROs try to do everything possible to keep the students in the school safe, from the perimeter doors to the drugs and outside threats that a large school such as Coppell provides.
“We have two SROs on campus, which is a good measure,” assistant principal Michelle Kellen said. “One of the [safety] issues that we face at a high school is entrances, so we try and minimize the doors that can be used for someone.”
While the administration and faculty both agree the SROs are crucial to the school’s security, both agree students play a crucial role in the security of the school and everyone in it. It is the student’s responsibility to report anything they feel is out of the ordinary or suspicious; the students need to report that to the SROs or administration.
“We cannot prevent crime. I cannot prevent someone from stealing something from you or prevent fights,” officer Freeman said. “The best thing you can do is put up belongings and alert us of things you find suspicious.”
Students are very thankful to have the SROs after the events at Sandy Hook Elementary School and appreciate all that they do to make sure that the students stay safe.
“I have noticed an increase in security; they have put signs up on all of the locker room doors and doors have been locked to keep us safe.” Reyna said. “I am very thankful for all the SROs do to assure that everyone in the school stays safe and nothing bad happens.”
