All North entrances will be locked throughout the day, excluding a 30 minute window between 8:45 and 9:15 a.m., beginning Tuesday March 25.
Keypads are installed on both the Tiger Drive and Theater entrance doors, which will unlock with a four digit passcode between the hours of 7a.m. and 6p.m. on weekdays. The keypad code was released during advisory, Monday March 24, to all students and staff.
“Newton South has had the keypads for a while, and the idea is not that it’s a magical super security system, but it’s a way to maintain an open campus for students and provide access while also slowing down people that are not supposed to be in the building,” said vice principal, Amy Winston.
According to campus aide John Staulo, the keypad locks will add another layer of security to the building, while also giving students and teachers peace of mind. However, according to South junior Marley Cohen, the keypads at South have not always functioned well, and passwords and doors can be inconsistent.
“There’s definitely been times where my friends and I have gotten locked out because that passcode changed and we didn’t know,” said Cohen.
Cohen added that despite these faults, the keypads generally work well and are easy for everyone to use.
According to Winston, the installation process at North began in the weeks leading up to February break, fulfilling a long-held goal of the superintendent.
“I think it’s a good idea,” said junior, Lucy Yang-Schmidt. “Right now anyone could be walking through those doors.”
“I am actually really excited,” said Winston. “I think students will be able to more freely come and go from the theater entrance, and it’ll prevent students from putting down pebbles and trying to prop those doors, which is really not safe.”
