SROs Blake Lytle and Ashley Williams monitor the commons during the day on Sept. 16. Lytle said hallway traffic has improved significantly this year.

As the 2025-2026 academic year begins, this school’s SROs have been busy implementing new policies and systems in regard to safety, parking lot traffic, and hallway traffic.

“So far this year, we’ve actually been very busy with the discipline side of things,” SRO Ashley Williams said. “(We’re) trying to revamp some of our security aspects, like entering and exiting doors. I know (the SROs have) revamped some traffic patterns outside of the stadium (as well).”

According to SRO Blake Lytle, this school has also been implementing new fire drill policies for the upcoming academic school year.

“The (new) messaging for fire alarms and fire drills is ‘observe and decide,’” Lytle said. “We don’t want our students and staff running out into the hallway (right after a fire alarm goes off). We’ve all been programmed over the years to, when you hear that alarm go off, just immediately evacuate.”

Junior Olwyn Shaneck said this policy is an excellent idea, especially given all the recent false fire alarms.

“There are so many people who just pull the fire alarm out of nowhere,” Shaneck said. “It’s smart to treat every fire drill like a false alarm for the first while.” By Evelyn Foster