By Jayla Anderson ’26
The 2024-2025 school year has been a challenging year for schools all around the nation. Due to violence as well as threats of violence made by many individuals even as close as our neighboring town Ansonia, school safety has become a major concern for schools in the United States.
Derby High School staff and administration are diligently working to ensure the safety of both students and staff in the building. Many changes have been made to make the school as safe as possible in a time such as this.
Keeping every classroom/office door locked was a major change made to the classroom environment. “Every morning I go around, I check all the locks, making sure that every classroom door is locked” said School Security Officer Shawn Wandel.
Staff and administrators ensure that all entrances and exits are being monitored at all times throughout the school day. “Everytime I see someone walking in, like coming into the entrance, I always zoom in on the cameras just to make sure that I can get a visual of them before they actually ring the buzzer,” Attendance Monitor Jamie Bartone remarked. Staff are always alert and aware of any activity that may seem suspicious in or outside the building. “I do a premises check outside the school, I look for any people who look suspicious, anything that might be suspicious, I do my rounds every day” Wandel explained.
Emotional support is a resource accessible to all students in the Derby High School community. Social workers and guidance counselors are available for students to talk to about concerns they may have about school safety or even just have someone to talk with in general. Nichole Mckitty, a social worker, takes pride in ensuring that her students are able to come to school and feel safe in their learning environment. “I take the approach of social/emotional well-being. I let my students know that school safety is something that not only my students are experiencing but also staff too, so they shouldn’t hold those feelings in but talk about it, so that they can get the help they need in order to be able to be comfortable in their learning environment” Mckitty stated.
Principal Jennifer Olson, along with guidance counselors, social workers, and Derby police officers, held grade-level assemblies to give students a feeling of security in these troubled times. In these assemblies the Derby police officers explained to students that if they ever feel worried or unsure about something they may have heard or seen, they should always tell a trusted adult. Olson made sure that all students knew that staff and administration are always vigilant and alert when it comes to safety in the Derby High School learning environment.
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