Collegian

The Lorain City Schools' Board of Education now has the money to make major changes.  New school buildings and upgrades in security top the list.  LCS has been given $216 million from the Ohio School Facilities Commission and the passing of a $4.7 million city bond vote in 2001.  Project spending will be supervised by the Bond Issue Oversight Committee.  The project involves building thirteen new schools and renovation of seven others.

Many of the changes this school year came about as result of recommendations by the Lorain City School Task Force and the Community Forum.  These groups are made up of members of the Lorain community who focus on school safety and security.

As recommended by the committees, all new buildings and older middle and high schools now have telephones or panic buttons in each classroom.  Security cameras have been added to each building.  By the completion of the project, all schools will have telephones and cameras as needed.

Trained in crisis management, Building Safety Officers have been hired to patrol the hallways.  School Resource Officers have been assigned by the Lorain Police Department to each school.  The School Resource Officers are also full-time LPD officers.  Before the current series of security upgrades the schools had hall monitors.

"Security really did not help anything," says a Megan Reynolds, 19, a graduate of Lorain Southview High School.  "One year you had to have a teacher or staff member walk you through the hallways," Reynolds continues, "When they had hall monitors they would just go outside to smoke."

Students this year are required to wear picture security badges that double for lunch tickets.  Dean Schnurr, Director of Communications for Lorain City Schools, says that there had been plans to use badges previously, but with the lunch system changing to a point of sales system, it allowed for a merging of ideas.

The doors have been removed from every stall in the restrooms.  In recent years the doors have been found removed from their hinges during school hours, even after being replaced.

Matthew Indre, 16, a Southview student said, he no longer uses the restroom in school because there is no privacy.  If he tries to use the restroom someone insists on watching him.

Schnurr says that there are private restrooms available to students in each building.  Students need to ask the office staff for help.

A dress code has also been placed on the type of clothing worn by students.  No longer are bandanas, hats, camouflage or low rise pants allowed.  "School is not about a fashion show," says Schnurr, "School is about providing an educational environment which is conducive to learning and does not present distractions to others."

Jessica Fetter, 31, a graduate of Lorain Admiral King High School says that she was opposed to it as a student, but feels that "a dress code is highly appropriate as well as smaller class sizes and more authoritative school figures."

Another change is the shortening of time between classes and during lunch.  No longer is lunch a half-hour long and breaks between classes have been closed to three minutes.  Students are no longer permitted to use of book bags or large purses during school and may have to carry everything they need for the day in their arms.

Schnurr mentions that in a post-Columbine America allowing book bags and large purses may "present a possible danger."

The newest security measures have only been in place for four months.  There are no statistics thus far, but Schnurr says that "Lorain City Schools has fewer incidences with weapons than some of the surrounding districts." 

The fear that LCS is unsafe may simply be due to it being the largest school district in the county.  Schnurr said that future plans will be based on the continual evaluation of what works.

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