Following a new policy implemented at Westford Academy, students will no longer be allowed to exit through the senior lobby doors during the school day starting on Thursday, Dec. 18, and instead, they will have to exit and enter the school through the main entrance.
In the past, all students have been allowed to leave through the senior lobby doors or the bell lobby doors when being dismissed from school or when exercising their senior privileges. However, according to Dean Amanda Welch, the policy changed in reaction to safety concerns.
On Friday, Dec. 5, Welch sent an email informing seniors about this upcoming change, making sure as many students as possible were aware of the development in advance.
Although safety concerns about intruders entering the building throughout the day have been brought up for many years, according to Welch, this is the first year WA has implemented a door policy.
Nevertheless, many students, especially seniors with privileges, are not fans of the upcoming modification.
“I don’t really like this policy because I think that it takes an especially long time to go in and out of the front doors, rather than the senior lot doors,” senior Sabrina Berthold said. “So that means you have to leave home earlier than you would have to [before the policy changed].”
According to senior Olivia Bernier, many seniors feel as if this policy is unnecessary and believe that safety concerns could be handled in a different manner.
“If we were able to move one of [the admin that operates the bell lobby doors] to the senior lobby, then they could control who goes in and out of the senior lobby,” Bernier said. “That way seniors aren’t freezing when they walk in. I know everybody’s really not happy about having to go in the bell lobby door because it’s a long walk and its cold.”
According to Welch, if students are caught not following this rule, each case will be reviewed on an individual basis and students will face punishment accordingly.
“[We] reflect on change and go from there,” Welch said. “Safety is one of our top priorities for the WA student body.”
