This was previously published in our September 2025 issue.

The news of a school shooting can spread like wildfire in the hallways, but Emmaus High School has the power to ease students’ minds with brand new security protocols. For this school year, the East Penn Administration created new regulations in order to better protect students.

Some protocols are reasonable, such as the update to the student handbook in regards to propping doors open which occurred in recent years. This action is categorized as a disciplinary action that can result in consequences that vary from the loss of privileges, such as the removal of late arrival or early out, up to Out-of-School Suspension (OSS). The propping of exterior doors undermines all the precautions the school and district take to avoid emergency situations. If this occurs multiple times,the punishment may become more serious and could even lead to the student being expelled.

During the 2024-25 school year, students and faculty noticed the appearance of new locks on all classroom doors, which was followed by their official debut in the 2025-26 school year. These locks can only be activated by teacher ID cards and specific keys to ensure student safety.

Along with the locks, more staff have been hired in response to Governor Josh Shapiro’s signed laws  to better protect students.

Though new locks are a safe feature to add to classrooms, they can make things inconvenient due to their unreliability. The keycards have not worked every single time a teacher tries to enter their classroom, leading to the need for a physical key as well.

Governor Shapiro’s law states that the school must employ one full-time security guard with the required training who must be on duty throughout the entirety of the school day. This year, EHS has one fulltime police officer, Officer Craig Blose, as well as a security officer, Robert Thomas,in the building. This is double the required amount, doubling the amount of safety students have in emergency situations.

Traditionally, the phrase “Avoid, Deny, Defend” is used in school atmospheres when the discussion of shootings comes up. In Hornet Huddle during the first week of school, a video was shown to teach this phrase that was more intense than usual.

Though the video was advocated for by some, it can be seen as far too extreme and inappropriate for minors, despite being a reality. For some, a school shooting video such as this can create uneasiness among teens on the topic of gun violence and how they can be used in situations such as the recent Annunciation Catholic School school shooting.

However, in our opinion the intensity of the video showed students that this is a serious topic that can be emotional at times, but is more common in today’s world. The reality of the video gave students a more insightful look into what each of these steps look like in a real-life scenario. This will ideally better prepare students at EHS and do the same for schools across the country.

This year, other schools within the state have been taking their safety protocols even further than EHS has. The State College Area School District has made the executive decision to conduct random searches throughout the year with metal-detecting devices. These severe measures were taken after a former student was arrested for making threats, leading to the decision to purchase metal detectors.

The mere presence of metal detectors can cause anxiety and fear in the minds of students, teachers, and parents. That feeling of fear can influence intruders to rethink onto school property,therefore lowering the need for severe security measures.

In the event of a more complex emergency situation arising at EHS, it would then become appropriate to go as far as the State College Area School District has. However, The Stinger Editorial Board feels students are being cared for in a manner that is attentive rather than unsettling.

In a 9-1 vote, The Stinger Editorial Board feels that EHS is creating reasonable protocols for the safety of students. These protocols could negatively affect student privacy due to the increased surveillance, but the idea of doubling security presence is beneficial. The addition of metal detectors in the future could also cause anxiety among the EHS family but the Board feels more protocols should be added in the future to ensure all students exit the school as safely as they entered.