In February of 2022, the students of Academy of American Studies transitioned into a new school building. Since the building transition, school administration has prioritized improving security, using stricter guidelines and more monitoring, aiming to ensure the safety of students and staff.
In the old building, there was less security and monitoring. When asked about the security in the old building, senior Pedro Braga said it was easy for students to come and go as they pleased: ”Being split in between two buildings, even if our school had good security, there was no guarantee that they did as well,” said Braga, pointing out some concern for safety issues in the old building.
With a building to themselves, Academy was able to administer new policies that focus more on ensuring that students and staff are sheltered from potential dangers. This method has led to the community approving more of the current security protocols.
Lorin Escasenas, a senior and member of student government, claims that with a new space meant just for them, student safety
feels like now a bigger priority for the school. “Now that we have our own building and our own staff, and security that works for Academy, I feel like our safety is being prioritized.” That said, it is easy to believe that the security team has shined a brighter light on keeping everyone in the building protected.
In addition to security guards, cameras, and ID swipe-ins at the door, dean monitors also ensure safety once students are in the building. Rosanna Rodriguez, a dean and Spanish language teacher, said respect is a key part of feeling safe for students and staff. “I think that respect is number one, like make sure you respect all and respect yourself…and if we all keep checking in on each other then that helps all of us be safe.”