There are newer enforced rules on campus that I’m sure we’ve all heard about. These rules
were put in place for students’ safety. Maybe to some they seem somewhat disruptive or
distracting in class, and maybe to others it has no effect on their scholastic career.

I had reached out to Jason Noll, who is the director of Student Services and Curriculum. He
gave no response to my inquiries at this time.

I interviewed the chair of the English department here at West, Shauna Baker. I asked her if
she feels safer on campus since it’s mandatory now, to lock the doors. She said, “I’ve
always locked my door,” and “I’ve never felt unsafe on campus. Mandatory or not I’ve
always done it.” She mentioned how the other schools in the district may have been
affected more than West, specifically because most of the teachers here are used to
locking their doors during class time.

Then I talked to Baktash Azizi who shed some light on how these newer rules affect the
JROTC program. I asked if these rules make him feel any safer and he said, “They don’t
change my perception of safety here on campus, but it does bring some challenges for
some classes.” He mentioned how in JROTC there are drills on the football field, and since
the instructors have to be with the students, it’s very difficult to take time to answer the
doors to the portables.

Finally, I briefly spoke with Linda Crockett. I asked her if these new rules have directly
affected Leadership, and she said “Not really. In all honesty the door to P23 is closed when
Behnam is giving a lecture. These new rules don’t typically stop us from getting our work
done.”

It seems that the district wants to put extra rules in place to ensure the students are safe.
There are always pros and cons to rules and situations but making the most of it is the best
way to process those rules.