Hamilton County schools have recently begun replacing their former security systems with updated ones, thanks to the profit gained from tearing down the old Ooltewah Elementary School. County Commissioners have agreed to divide the income evenly among 64 schools throughout the nine districts. Central is one of those fortunate schools that will be receiving new security cameras as well as safer locks for the doors.

New and improved security allows for a safer environment for students and faculty. Each of the main entrances to the school as well as the parking lots will receive an updated camera. Central must wait a few weeks for them to be installed, but they will definitely be an improvement over the ten-year-old cameras we currently have. In contrast, each door has already had its locks changed and modernized. The only time the doors are unlocked is during class change in hopes of helping students be on time to class.

“This new system is definitely going to take some getting used to,” Caitlin Maupin, the senior class vice president, noted.

Of course, teachers whose classrooms are in the portables are having an issue of their own – students cannot enter the main building unless they have an electronic pass. This brings several questions to mind. What if multiple students need to leave the room at different times? Are teachers going to be given numerous passes? What if a student is being dismissed and will not be returning to class to give the pass back? Central faculty has a few minor kinks to work out as a result of this the upgrade.

“If the pass gets lost, I’m not sure how hard it will be to replace it, so I’m trying to keep a really close guard over it,” commented Vanessa Moss, an English teacher in Portable 1.

Overall, the new security system should be a great improvement for Central High. This technology is a step in the right direction for good behavior and a safer campus. Administrators will have a better watch over all students as well as who comes and goes on school property.

“A camera or a lock isn’t going to fix problems. The students in this building, along with teachers and administrators, can fix the problems, but ultimately, cameras will help a lot of things,” concluded Principal Finley King.