Every year school shootings happen. Anderson High School does a good job at protecting its students from shooters and other people, but nothing is ever perfect. Back in 2022 a student was able to walk inside the school with a loaded handgun. This student was arrested before anything bad could happen.
With these kinds of things happening all over the world, schools take it very seriously to protect their students who are inside the building, by hiring officers who patrol the school daily, or having metal detectors to detect anything before students and teachers are fully inside the building.
Principal Alan Landes oversees everything that happens inside the school. Whether it is from making sure students are in their classrooms, or making sure everyone gets lunch and or breakfast. Landes especially oversees all of the security to ensure that all of the students are safe from any threats like a shooting, or bomb attack that could happen.
“We have our weapons detectors. Everybody has to go through it every morning. And then, as students arrive late, we still have them set up, and they have to go through it, and then when our students arrive from D26, around whatever that is, 9:50, 9:55, they also have to go through it. So we have things in place,” said Landes “To really make it difficult for students to bring weapons,” Alan Landes
When a student walks inside the building, in the morning or when they arrive late they walk through metal detectors to help ensure no weapons come through. These have been in place for about three years now.
“They’re only designed to detect large masses of metal, large amounts of metal. A Chromebook will set it off. You probably know, like, some three ring binders will set it off. The Stanley Mugs will certainly set it off. But yeah, we calibrate them with a block, a metal block that simulates the amount of metal found in a larger knife or a handgun.” Landes
Anderson Highschool has a very good way in protecting its students, with the active shooter drills, or with the metal detectors. Sometimes a student, or a person has thoughts or intentions on attacking the school in some way.
“I know that some of them felt like they were being bullied. And they just wanted to get back at the people who were bullying them. There are people who have different political ideas, and they feel that, you know, shooting in a school is the way they’re going to express that.” Landes
Unfortunately sometimes a shooter can get inside Anderson Highschool and try to attack. When things like this happen, teachers and staff have very important tasks to do to ensure everyone is safe. Whether it be by attacking against the shooter, or hiding.
“Everybody has to take it seriously. If the drill includes you being in a corner and being quiet, not saying anything, and making sure your phones are off, make sure you’re doing that. Because when, heaven forbid, if the real thing were to happen, and we had an active shooter in the building, you want to be able to say that you’ve practiced that before, and you know exactly, what’s going on. and how to behave.” Landes
If you ever see or hear a student, or anyone talking about attacking the school it’s very important you go to a teacher, a resource officer, or the principal. Anyone can help protect Anderson HighSchool, and anyone can attack anytime.
