Whether reading from home, a friend’s, a restaurant or even a grocery store, you might have wondered if you’re really safe. 

That same thought likely crossed your mind about school.

“Sometimes (I feel safe). It varies, depending on what day it is,” sophomore Jimothy Fischer said.

The district has taken steps to protect students with two School Resource Officers, four security staffers, Panther Watch volunteers, monthly drills, and a staff focused on safety. SROs and security members check doors and restrooms throughout the school during the day.

“I think that safety is always a top priority in the district,” principal Gretchen Pontious said.

Security and SROs are one of the school’s main means of keeping students safe.

“The security is doing a good job, I like how they’re walking around . And also we have a lot of counselors around the school to help us,” Avila said.

Freshman Jackson Dodge added: “I think they do a really good job of security, just with the police walking around.”

In a survey conducted by Panther’s Tale in which 122 students responded, 65.6% said they feel safe.

“I feel very safe around security because I know how long fights have been happening and how they’ve been breaking it up,” sophomore Jade Whitted said.

Fighting bothers students.

“There’s a lot of fights that break out pretty often, and sometimes it can get in the way,” Fischer said. “And sometimes if I’m trying to go to class, I can sometimes get in the middle of it, and it just doesn’t feel safe.”

Junior Peter Harrison agrees.

“(I’m) more so (worried), which I feel like hasn’t happened as much this year.”

That feeling is important to staff.

“All of your administrators are parents,” assistant principal Justin McCubbin said, “Mrs. Pontious and I have children in Derby schools, so we take school safety as seriously as we know that there are children’s principals take it.”

The administration follows the Standard Response Protocol (SRP), which is used to help people respond to any crisis as fast as possible.

“That’s like the hold, secure, lockdown, evacuate and shelter, it’s been the same procedure since I’ve been in an admin position,” Pontious said.

In case of a serious situation, various methods are used to inform parents or guardians of the event.

“We have several options for mass communication to students and families,” McCubbin said. “The one that at the high school uses the most frequently is SkyAlert, sent through Skyward.”

Of the 122 students surveyed, 62.3% said they’re well-informed on the school’s safety protocols.

“I think if a lockdown actually happened, we would be able to perform it successfully,” Harrison said.

The thought of your school being intruded is a scary one, but it’s one that students often think about.

“I’m slightly worried about how easy it might be to get into the school, even though I don’t see any reason for anyone dangerous to have a reason to come into the school,” Harrison said.

Students face suspension if they let anyone in through one of the exterior doors. Staff and students are told not to prop doors open for any reason.

“I feel generally prepared, but I do think there’s another way they could do it, definitely that would be safer for students to get out of the building instead,” Fischer said.

But the administration has to prepare for the worst. Over winter break the Derby Police Department performed a school shooting drill.

“They use our facilities whenever we don’t have students here to train for whatever they may need,” Pontious said.

Students still worry about their safety. But the threat may be a fellow student. 

“One, there’s sharp objects around and, two, you don’t know people’s actions and whether they’re going to do something,” freshman Brooklyn Avila said.

While there is no way to predict what a student might do, the administration takes precautionary measures.

“Anytime we have any suspicion that there would be a weapon, it’s taken extremely serious and we would immediately respond,” Pontious said. “We’re really fortunate to have our SROs in the building with us because they can help.”

But without a weapon, students still can intimidate each other.

“I’m a freshman, and there’s like this group of guy seniors, and they were all looking at me weird and that made me uncomfortable. I felt unsafe,” Avila said.

There are multiple cameras in each hall and nearly every room, too, which security uses to scope out any bad things that happen.

“There’s 1, 2, 3 so there’s 3 cameras facing us right now, so I think security’s pretty good,” said Dodge, looking around N-hall during the interview.

The school has put tremendous effort into helping students feel safe.

“Mrs. Pontious and myself are kind of like the first lines of accountability when it comes to school safety,” McCubbin said. 

Students seem to notice.

“The new administrators I feel like have been doing their job to help us and keep us safe,” Whitted said.