During the Kentucky State Police (KSP) safety and security assessment of HC on Friday May 15th, officers conducting the analysis discovered several potential safety issues at HC. A few days later, law enforcement began creating measures to increase protection for all of the school.

The assessment evoked concerns about HC’s safety. Some of the primary issues found include: “arranging of signs so in a manner that are directive and easy to understand, and privacy tint/film for front windows of classrooms and exterior windows,” as well as other suggestions.

One protection put in place by HC Law Enforcement Officer Brandon Blair was the creation of new signs to clearly mark entrances to HC and to help direct faculty, students, emergency personnel, and visitors around the building.

The new colored signs divide all of HC’s entrances into four different quadrants– A, B, C, and D–accompanied with numbers based on the location of classrooms.

These extra additions will be included in the evacuation maps to better guide teachers and students within classrooms to closest exits in case of emergencies.

“The identified signs are lettered in order clockwise from A to D,” Blair said. “The main entrance begins as 1A to make it easily accessible and recognizable to visitors, and then D is the back side of HC.”

HC is currently a pilot school — in that it is the only school in FCPS to implement this signage. Eventually, every school in the district will have this, including middle and high schools. Blair hopes to see this happen in the next couple of years.

“It is a simple idea that adheres to FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) National standard,” Blair said. “The new metal signs enable us to give other responders specific locations in case of emergencies.”

When asked what students can do to make the school safer, HC Law Enforcement Officer Brandon Blair responded with sound advice, “The most important thing is to leave all doors locked, and to not let outside visitors or students into the building, and also report all crimes to staff member or law enforcement.”

Officer Blair’s new signs proved effective Tuesday Jan 12th, when an elderly man attending an HC event suffered a stroke. Luckily, Officer Blair’s new signage was able to direct paramedics to the scene quickly and without confusion, and they were able to save the man’s life. This shows how safety actions can impact other areas of school as well.

“Law officers at HC work intensely hard to ensure us students are safe every day,” Junior Taylor Smith said.

With appropriate measures, the safety concerns are being taken care of, and we may soon see several changes within HC to ensure proper security.

Law enforcement at HC is always striving to find possible ways to make the school environment safer for everyone. New additions to safety equipment are constantly being put in place around the school to ensure HC is as safe as possible.