Fostering a Safe Environment
By Melvin Najarian Sept. 25, 2024
The sound of the first bell fills the air, shifting the mood from excitement to nervousness as the first class of the school year begins. Upon entering each of their classrooms, students are introduced to a classroom syllabus consisting of teacher’s rules, as well as an introduction to new school policies within classrooms that every student is required to abide by. In addition to new policies for students, the school has also put in their best effort to create a safe and productive learning environment.
To ensure campus security, several police officers are located around campus, referred to as School Resource Officers (SROs). They are part of the San Jose Police Department and are responsible for ensuring the safety of the school by providing protection and defense during emergencies. Additionally, SROs prepare school administrators for safety measures that must be taken in case of a threat. SROs also can call for direct dispatches, resulting in faster responses for the school in the case of an emergency.
In addition to the long-lived ban from entering the parking lot during breaks and lunches, this year electric bikes, referred to as e-bikes, are now entirely prohibited from entering the campus area, while traditional bikes are still permitted. The majority of e-bikes can travel up to 20 mph, while some can even reach up to 28 mph, which made administrators worry about potential accidents. Also, e-bikes have previously damaged the turfs and football field, resulting in expensive repairs.
“As both of my parents work, biking to school makes my life easier. However, banning e-bikes at school is a perfectly valid decision. Frankly, e-bikes are a hazard to traditional bikers, including myself. Their travel speed exceeds any regular bicycle, yet they are allowed to travel in the bike lane. They are too ambiguously classified, given that they hold aspects that could classify them as motorcycles,” Junior Advi Wehzan said.
Moving forward, the “Minor Behavior Intervention Log,” was introduced to classrooms this August as a new school policy. The form states that if a student violates the same classroom policies more than three times, they will be brought to the administration; it aims to help troubled individuals have a better understanding of classroom policies and improve their communication with teachers before further measures are taken, ultimately standardizing behavior logging at the school. It also applies to student athletes, as their behavior in practice and games still represents the school.
“The Minor Behavior form is a necessity within classrooms because it helps students and teachers manage behavioral conflicts before the matter becomes a major consequential issue. It also allows students to improve their behavior in collaboration with the teacher, as it influences more one-on-one interactions,” Christopher Barros, Foreign Language Department, said.
Substantially, school policies are not only regulated for safety, but they also aim to shape student’s behavior for the greater good. The school’s enforcement of rules enable students to distinguish both right and wrong, so in the future when faced with real world situations, they are capable of understanding the manner that they must conduct themselves in and out of a learning environment.
About the Contributors
Melvin Najarian
staff writer
Melvin Najarian likes playing tennis, listening to music, and hanging out with friends. His favorite band is Keane.
Ryan Park
artist
Ryan Park is an Artist for Advanced Journalism in Leland High School. He wants to be able to improve his drawing skills during his time in Journalism. He likes watching anime, hanging out with his friends, and going to the gym.
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