Edwardsville Public School District 7 enforces safety procedures in light of recent and past events. A few of the safety procedures include a closed campus, code drills and required identification badges for all students and faculty.

“This is not a new idea,” Principal Dennis Cramsey said.

After the Columbine shooting of 1999, District 7 formed a Safety and Security Committee. “Even back in those days, we had discussion of wearing IDs,” Mr. Cramsey said.  The committee included principals of District 7 schools, the Edwardsville Police Department, the Glen Carbon Police Department, the Madison County Sheriff’s Department, a former FBI agent and a current FBI agent.

District 7 already had a safety plan, but decided to improve it after the shooting in Newtown, Conn. Through the committee and talks with other large Illinois public high schools, the Safety and Security Committee has developed an extensive collection of procedures and policies.

“I understand what the school is trying to do,” senior Jasmine Griggs said. “I don’t think we need it…but the town is safe. I feel like it’s overly safe.”

The city of Edwardsville was ranked third on Family Circle’s “Top 10 Best Towns for Families” in 2010. This makes many wonder why EHS needs any safety procedures, but the school massacres that have occurred in the past two decades answer their questions.

“When I got into education, you would have never thought about it,” Mr. Cramsey said. “It was not even on our minds.”

After the shooting in Newtown, Conn., many teachers were left in shock. “I was sad for the students, and proud for the teachers having a safety plan,” Ms. Tiffany Preston said. “Our school has a pretty good safety system, [so] I wasn’t too scared for our school.”

One way the district plans to avoid intrusions, is by adjusting the entry system for all school buildings. All school building now and new locks in attempt to increase efficiency. “Over time, we have made it consistent across all buildings—same terminology,” Mr. Cramsey said. The district examined the follow-through and response to this new system. The results are positive.

The committee has also tried to stray away from the extreme of a complete locked-down campus. “We want it to be a warm environment,” Mr. Cramsey said. The goal is not to stifle or retain students, but it is to prevent student exposure to negative materials and/or trespassers.

“All of the things we do, including IDs, help make the school safer place,” Mr. Cramsey said.