In May of this year, House Bill 1473 was signed into law, and with it, Florida public schools are troubled with implementing some inconvenient new procedures.

The new law is aimed at boosting school security by revising school safety requirements and requiring schools all across the state of Florida to implement the latest changes. The most notable procedure was requiring all doors, hallways, and gates in and around schools to be locked during learning hours. At Cypress Lake High School, most changes have been implemented without disruption. However, problems have arisen in accessing specific areas of the school, such as the media center, making it difficult for staff and students to navigate the day.

To help alleviate the issue, CLHS has installed a new doorbell at the media center entrance. The doorbell alerts the staff when someone wants to enter the media center. “I find the doorbell to be effective,” Media Center staff Mrs. Lessigner stated, “It’s loud enough for me to hear it when I’m in the copy room or the textbook room and I appreciate that students and staff have a way to let me know when they need access to the media center.”

When asked about the effectiveness of the law, Mrs. Lessigner replied, “There are always some kinks, simply because broad laws can not possibly address the individual nuances of each school campus. I think it is too early to tell whether or not it is effective or just a temporary Band-Aid to a much larger issue.”

As time passes, we will get to see how well the law holds, and just how much it improves the security and safety of our schools.