The big question for many students and staff is simple: how safe is CHS? The answer brings good news and hopefully puts many minds at ease: it’s plenty safe.
CHS itself doesn’t have many safety hazards. Every time one is brought up, the situation is quickly identified and defused to be safer for the students and staff alike. One example was that last year, an accident occurred in the theater with the stairs leading up to the sound booth. To make sure it wouldn’t happen again, everyone who needs to go up there is required to have a certain amount of training, and it hasn’t happened again since. Anything that becomes a hazard in CHS doesn’t stay that way for long.
While there might be worry about the roads during winter, the fact is, Camas High School has already thought of that. The custodians will come down early in the morning to pour salt down if needed and test the roads for the incoming students and staff. If anything becomes a problem or could potentially be one, they take care of it. Mr. Owen Sanford, who is in charge of safety, said, “The custodians have that protocol pretty dialed in. They come down here at like, five or six in the morning.” While icy roads can put anyone on edge, the fact is, they wouldn’t have school if they were worried about the safety of the students.
When asked about the school’s safety, students responded in mostly positive ways. Caleb Ashworth, sophomore, responded with a simple, “Somewhat.” When asked the same question, Julia Chwaliszewski, senior, said, “Yeah. I think we don’t really have to worry about school shootings because we have police and security and that we’re safe in that aspect.” While there might be some doubt, it’s hard to deny that Camas is good at keeping people safe.
In the end, there isn’t much to worry about. Camas is a well looked after school and all problems or potential problems are taken care of as soon as they come to mind. The school is safe for both students and staff alike.
Aidan • Feb 4, 2019 at 6:11 PM
When people think “safety” in the context of school, what are some things that come to mind? Hazardous roads? I would be thinking more towards safety of the school. Questions like:
– How secure is CHS?
– Have physical pen testers certified and/or upgraded vulnerable or any parts of the school?
– Is it easy for dangerous items (and people) to enter the school?
– Has the school administration set up an efficient way to exit the school in case of a fire or intruder? Are they trying to improve it?
– Is the school network really secure? (I’m talking about the school’s intranet and open WiFi access points)
The commentary of Sanford’s quote looks off. “… the fact is, they wouldn’t have school if they were worried about the safety of the students.” Does this mean custodians don’t worry about the safety of students, since school typically happens? Or does it mean that at a present time, if custodians think the school isn’t safe enough for students, the people in charge will cancel the day? Or does it mean that custodians care too much of the students, and so they somehow have to not care about them as much (or at all) for the school day to happen?
The one-word quote doesn’t really explain anything. “Somewhat.” Is Ashworth untrustworthy of school safety, or is there more to it? Is it to glimpse at the people who don’t feel safe at school?
I feel like the article doesn’t consider enough problems that the school has (or should) tackle. It doesn’t have to be exhaustive, but talking about the safety of CHS shouldn’t be just about road problems and a single accident in the theater. I hope you understand my point of view.