New updated security measures were put into place over the summer that included installing 550 cameras all over campus by CISD along with new alarmed doors and indoor scanners.

   The updates have been in the works for 2-3 years now, having been decided last year when CISD passed a bond allowing this equipment to be installed. Last week the cameras and other security precautions were activated. 

  “The bond that got passed let us add a new wing to the school, which allowed more classrooms for incoming freshmen and teachers, new cameras with higher clarity, indoor scanners that can only be accessed with a pass,” associate principal Melanie McCarthy said. “If there’s no pass present then a very loud obnoxious sound will go off, the only people that are able to turn off the alarms are the front office ladies and principals that can only be accessed through the computers.” 

Some students find the alarms distracting and disruptive when trying to learn when an alarm accidentally goes off during class.

“I could hear the alarm from a very far distance and I was instantly distracted, not even my teacher could finish her lesson without being preoccupied with the noise. Turns out it was just a janitor trying to take the trash out,” sophomore Ariana Vazquez said. 

  However, staff and teachers are trying to change students’ perspectives, as many think the updates are there for the right reasons. The security measures are purely there to protect students and staff members from potential outside dangers. 

“The new cameras and alarms are just there to keep everyone in the school safe, putting cameras in “dark spots” allows us to see what’s going on inside the building throughout the day, and the alarms are only there to make sure anyone that tries to come in without the right passes can’t,” McCarthy said. 

There are many students that feel more secure when walking through the halls, knowing that an alarm can go off at any detection of a threat. 

“The updates, make me feel safer every day that passes, knowing that people can only come in and out with the correct pass makes the environment feel a little more controlled,” Junior Dayanne Lopez said, “Even when trying to come in through the front, you still have to go through a process with the front office.”