By Matthew Miles, Management Editor — Principal Mike Babics wants worried students at the high school to know that the current security at the school is in good condition after going into a lockdown on Fri. Oct. 7. The lockdown occurred after a male student wrote threats on a bathroom stall.

“My number one concern here is safety,” Babics said. “When parents send their kids to school, I want the parents to know their kids are safe.”

The high school already has many security features and it is also adapting whenever they see a need. The doors are always locked, there are countless security cameras, there is a blue light emergency system, the students and staff are always visible, and the school has deputy Chad Smith here as much as possible.

Smith is a school resource officer and he is the liaison between the school and the sheriff’s office. His job is to enforce laws across all 11 buildings within the district and the bus garage.

“Having officer Smith here is a big advantage,” Babics said. “Chad [Smith] helps [the school] out because he does work directly with the sheriff’s office.”

Smith also believes that the high school’s security is well off. As much as Smith helps the high school, the high school is already in good shape.

“The school does take their security very seriously,” Smith said. “[The school] has a lot of advanced security and this school values security more than any other school I have been to.”

The lockdown was caused by a student who wrote threats on a bathroom wall. This incident could have happened at the school with the most security in the country; all it would have taken was a marker and an empty bathroom stall. Although there was no immediate danger and every staff member and student were safe the entire time, the administration was very cautious and took the threats written on the wall very seriously.

“When [the administration] gets report of an incident, it is followed up immediately,” Babics said. “Safety is always being addressed, examined, and looked at for what we can do now and in the future.”

As for the future, there is no current security enhancements that will be taking place. The administration believes that the high school’s security is already in good condition.

“[The administration] is always looking to improve [the school’s] security but there is nothing I can say right now,” Babics said. “If something happens in a week, a month, or a year, we will change with time to enhance our school. There is no current reason even after the lockdown.”

Right now, the only matter in the school that needs improved is the help from students.

“Things always need improved but we need more help from the students,” Smith said. “If students see something, they need to say something.”

While the school year goes on, there may or may not be more changes to the security at the school. Many features are kept in place to make sure the school stays safe, it is important though that students do their part and remember to say something if they see something suspicious.

[Updated Aug. 19, 2017: This article has been reformatted for consistency.]