Administrators have installed black window coverings over classroom door windows across Camas High School (CHS) to increase student and staff safety during a lockdown scenario.
The process was overseen by CHS safety director Owen Sanford, and was done around two weeks ago
“During a lockdown, it’s really important that students and staff are not seen from inside the building; we want a quick way for that to happen,” Sanford said
The coverings can be quickly pulled down over the windows, preventing an active threat from determining who is inside a classroom when the doors are locked.
While new to CHS, the coverings are part of district-wide efforts to improve safety at educational facilities.
“The district of course wants to be consistent as a whole,” said Sanford, “if my spouse teaches at Skyridge, and her classroom doesn’t have a covering, then why not…when teachers here are getting them, or vice versa.”
Sanford has come back to managing school safety after several years of different work at CHS and found the visibility issue in classrooms a major gap in Camas’s safety systems.
“We got requests from teachers, and we got some requests and questions from students…feeling [concerned] about what they’re supposed to do, when they’re still visible in some classrooms,” Sanford said.
Some students are relieved with the introduction of these increased safety measures.
“I find [the blackout coverings] better…they’re more protective,” said CHS freshman Audrey Minor, whose mother, Amanda Minor, helped set up many of the coverings, “I think the district is doing a pretty good job [with safety].”
“I’d think it’d be nice if there was a lockdown or something, so they could block the windows if they needed to,” CHS student Thatcher Moore said.
Others think that the blackout coverings are not enough. When asked if he felt any safer with the new coverings, CHS senior Angelo Luchini said that he did not.
“I guess it’s just a precaution that they put on, but it doesn’t help in any way besides blocking vision,” Luchini said.
“It’s a little helpful, but [the coverings are] not gonna stop much,” Moore said.
When asked if he felt safer with the coverings on, CHS junior Kian Matthews also responded negatively.
“No, absolutely not, because [a school threat] is gonna know that people are in there; it doesn’t matter if there’s a shade,” Matthews said, “I don’t know what it’s trying to accomplish.”
Many students have ideas about other ways CHS could promote safety, from installing better security cameras and monitoring them consistently, ensuring students are not carrying weapons.
Sanford referenced student concerns and mentioned that the CHS administration is working to improve safety for students and staff. Students with concerns about safety at CHS are encouraged to talk to a counselor, teacher or directly contact the admin.
