BY Maria Riegel, Special Writer
Despite the Newton, Connecticut shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, high school seniors here said they feel safe due to several district policies.
Senior Allie Boda said she feels secure at SBHS because of the efforts she sees to keep students’ safe.
”I feel safe” Allie said. “There are police and cameras and all the doors are locked.”
The shootings killed 20 first grade students and six adults before accused gunman, Adam Lanza, 20, took his own life.
The tragedy has allowed the United States to reflect on several current policies relating to guns, mental health and violent entertainment.
South Brunswick High School students also reflected on the policies currently implemented at SBHS.
Superintendent Dr. Gary McCartney outlined several policies during a Board of Education meeting last month.
To ensure maximum safety, Dr. McCartney said the high school has recently changed their classroom locks. Initially, teachers could only lock their classroom doors from the outside, but with the recent improvements teachers can now lock their doors from the inside.
In addition to the interior and exterior video cameras to monitor all activity inside and outside the school, there is a notice posted in the high school’s main entrance that all visitors must show photo identification before gaining access to the building.
Since 1999, there is always one, armed South Brunswick police officer from the South Brunswick Police Department on school grounds as part of the School Resource Officer program started by former police chief Michael Paquette.
Senior Brendan McCann said that he was shocked when he received the news of the Newton shooting, but he said that even though a school shooting could happen anywhere he feels safe at SBHS.
”I was surprised when I hear about the shooting. I couldn’t believe something like that happened,” Brendan said. “This scenario can happen anywhere, but I think that as long as an officer is at the school that is all that should be necessary.”
Senior Megha Bansal said that she feels protected at SBHS, but she believes that feeling safe is not just about having safety policies, but knowing that a school shooting could happen anyway if there is someone out there that wants to do harm.
”I feel safe because the school always has their doors locked, but people always have to remember that a tragedy could happen because of one person,” Megha said.
Senior Jeremy Richardson said he feels safe at the school because of the school I.D. policy.
All SBHS students are required to wear their school I.D. on a lanyard around their neck for the whole school day. Jeremy said that this improves security. He said that the hall monitors are always making sure students are wearing their I.D.’s.
Rebekah Reyes, a senior said that she was not shocked that the shooting happened in Newton.
”I was surprised at first because I had not heard anything about the shooting, but it didn’t startle me how it startled other people,” Rebekah said. “After I heard about the movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado I don’t expect much from people.”
She said, however, that the Newton tragedy should be a precautionary to other schools throughout the United States.
”It should a forewarning to others,” Rebekah said.
However, Allie did say that one thing SBHS needs to improve on is the emergency drills because of the size of the high school.
”I think the main thing that needs improvement are the emergency drills,” Allie said. “If we had a real fire I would be worried.”

