In order to protect students from trespassers from entering the more open high school campuses, the district has decided that the four area high schools erect a perimeter fence for security measures. The fence is set to be finished by May 12.
“At the time that the security measures were taken, there were rampant school shootings across the country,” Principal Andrea Pfeifer said.
Before the pandemic hit, multiple public shootings had taken place in Florida and Las Vegas along with other tragic school shootings reported across the country.
“There was a lot of talk, nationally, about what we are doing to keep our students secure inside the school and how much foot traffic we have on our campus,” Principal Pfeifer said.
Along with the automatic door locks, the perimeter fence will help keep students safe inside the campus while keeping intruders outside the school.
“It’s a two-fold to keep [students] in and keep intruders out and to also keep you flowing inside the school more than outside,” Principal Pfeifer said.
The design of the fence does not indicate anything like a chain or barbed wire fence, but more of a classy set of bars.
“They are kind of a neutral darker color, and the bars are tall and symmetrical and you can see through them and it doesn’t look scary,” Principal Pfeifer said. “There are doors that we’ll be able to control open and close and keep locked during the school day.”
Many students will have to adapt to the new fence, but, once they learn their way around, they can adjust to it. The fence, like the doors, open from the inside but are locked on the outside. Students are not locked in the school.
“You can always get out, you’re not locked in when you get here,” Mr. Barton said. “Once you get out you’re locked out and you’ll have to buzz back in.”
The new fence will run along the perimeter of the school, making it accessible for students to come and leave the parking lot as normal.
“Nothing will be on the parking lots at all,” Principal Pfefier said. “You’re not gonna have to drive through any fences to park on our property.”
The contractors have already started putting up the fence and the estimated time for completion is May 12 of this year.
“Everything should be completed theoretically by mid-may,” Principal Pfeifer said. “The week that we were shut down for snow and energy, the electricians were inside just working like crazy because they could make up for lost time.”
All of the high schools in AISD have been given funding to build a fence around their school. Many schools in Texas have already started or completed fences and have really pushed for this safety measure to take place. The fence come from shootings like Sandy Hook where the perpetrator entered the school through easy access. It also comes after unwanted people have trespassed on school campuses and entered courtyard or classroom areas while bypassing the office.
