I am writing today as a concerned parent of a school-aged child.
My daughter attends a local elementary school. At any given moment of any school day, anybody can walk into the front doors of her school. Most days, the door to the reception office is closed.
I did talk to the principal and was told that a staff member was allergic to the chemical in the floor cleaner which is why the reception office doors were kept closed.
Yes, a parent should be going into the office when they enter, but even if the door is wide open, often there is no one there.
With all that is going on in our world today, and especially with the rising drug problem in Penticton, I find it very alarming that any person can be able to just walk into an elementary school (or any school for that matter) and do what they please and no one would be the wiser.
When I lived in Calgary, the schools had a camera installed at the front doors along with a buzzer. The camera was accessible by the office staff and all exterior doors were locked during school hours.
This kind of thing is preventative instead of reactive.
My question is, what is it going to take for our school division to take these same measures? Are we going to be reactive or preventative?
Sarah Tucker
Penticton