She wakes up late after turning off her alarm. She has 20 minutes before the tardy bell rings at 7:25. She jumps into her clothes, grabs her backpack, rips her keys off the key hook and races to school. She arrives in the parking lot at 7:23. If she can get in the door by the JROTC room, she can make it to her class on time. If no one will open the door for her, she might be tardy because she’ll have to go in through the Jag Room doors and walk all the way around to J Hall. She decides to take her chances being tardy. She knows no one is supposed to open the door she wants to through because those are the rules.

Students questions whether some of these rules are fair or needed, however school security and safety guidelines play an important role in student’s daily lives.

“Unfortunately, in this day and age, schools have become soft targets for school shootings,” assistant principal over safety and security Mr. Roderick Pouncy said. “It would behoove us all to be more vigilant.”

It is mandatory for students to wear IDs throughout the school day, and students must purchase another when caught without one.

“IDs are a safety issue,” Pouncy said. “We need to make sure the students on campus are supposed to be on campus. If something was to happen and outside law enforcement came on campus, how would they know you are a student that attends Summit?”

Students who do not follow the security guidelines put everyone in danger.

“When you (students) do not follow the guidelines, you put yourself and others at risk,” Pouncy said. “For example, students are not supposed to open school doors for other students, visitors, etc. I know their intentions may be coming from a good place; however, once you let that person in the building, you have now put everyone at risk.”

Safety is everyone’s job.

“I think we do a lot of great things,” Pouncy said. “We just need to follow the guidelines and always stay vigilant. We must hold each other accountable.”

Students question the 10-minute rule frequently, but it creates a calm and allows students to get ready for the next class instead of wandering the halls.

“You create an environment with a less traffic in the hallways, meaning more students in their respective academic setting as opposed to finding mischievous things to do while unsupervised,” Pouncy said.

Students unwilling to respect the rules will be handled based on the circumstances of the situation.

“Most situations are different,” Pouncy said. “However, the student has the right to due process. From that process, administrators will make a sound decision on what consequences if any that should be given to the student.”

It is everyone’s job to strive to keep the school safe and create a secure environment for learning.

“Students and staff should always report suspicious or strange behavior to help keep the school safe,” Pouncy said.