By Ethan Walshe
Editor-in-chief

The Ghostwriter has spent the past few weeks focusing on the changes that have occurred throughout Westford Academy over the summer and the first full month of school. But there is what some may call a dramatic change in school life that is in preparation: the presence of a police officer in the school at all times.

The discussion about having this officer in the building full time has been in the works for a while accordingly to Principal Jim Antonelli. The reason for its potential implementation this year is a direct result of the student risk behavior survey that was given out at the end of last year in which 16% of students admitted to having bought, sold, or used drugs on school property. Additionally,  there were a few instances of students reporting that they did not feel safe in Westford Academy.

“School safety… is paramount to me. And that encompasses everything from a school that’s drug-free, to a school that could have a situation or a specific incident with regards to some kind of criminal action that happens on site. That could be somebody comes in with a gun or a knife or whatever. [The police officer] is paramount with regards to safety in this facility… for me just having that person on site with over 2000 people in this building at all times is outstanding,” said Antonelli.

Personally, I have never felt like I wasn’t safe at Westford Academy. It is possibly one of the safest places that I have ever been. Perhaps this is because I’ve never gone to a school where I haven’t been safe. There isn’t any kind of extensive history at WA regarding violence, or a presence of weaponry in the school, at least to my knowledge. Drug use however, is something that I know is very prominent in the student body, be it marijuana, harder drugs, or drinking.

That may sound bad, but I’ll defend myself. I’ve never smoked weed or drank or anything. But the reason I’m aware of this kind of presence in the student community is because I come here every day, and I walk through the halls every day. I hear things, everyone does. It would be ignorant of anyone to say that there isn’t a kind of drug culture around here.

Even though there’s this presence, it doesn’t make me feel any less safe. I’ve never known WA to be a place with a history of violence or real danger and that’s really something that cannot be said for a lot of places. Nevertheless, it is likely that this officer will become present in the building once funding is decided at the October Westford town meeting.

According to Antonelli, a full time police officer at WA is an idea that is long overdue. There have been numerous discussions amongst prominent town figures such as the selectwoman, superintendent, and chief of police regarding this decision over the past few years, it’s just now that real action is being taken. Again, this can be linked back to drug use.

“[Police] Chief McEnaney said awhile back that the use of marijuana is pervasive in this community. That language really got people in tune with the support that we need around here,” said Antonelli.

Now I’ve already stated how I feel about safety at WA: I have never felt unsafe and didn’t think this kind of thing would be necessary. However, as I’ve also said, we have been lucky to never have a serious incident on the school grounds, and perhaps the presence of this officer can be seen as a precautionary measure to ensure that it stays that way.

Antonelli and the police chief have often said that marijuana has become a real problem amongst students in this community, Antonelli has even gone so far as to propose legislation to inflict harsher fines on those found in possession. I’m inclined to agree with them. While I may not think that marijuana use is the worst thing out there, I certainly don’t think that it has any place in school, and maybe a police officer in the building would discourage students from having their marijuana on school grounds. In that case, I’m all for it.

The Ghostwriter wants your opinion.