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By Lena Pearson

For the Clemmons Courier

Following the previous, traditional process of using metal detectors at West, there has been a significant change in the safety measures taken on campus. Beginning last week, West began using a different system known as OpenGate Safe Entry, designed to be a more seamless and time-efficient method of keeping the school safe. Despite its intended convenience, the new system has received a generally negative response from students as they feel there is much room for improvement.

In past years, West carried out safety screening days typically once a quarter, using the familiar method of walk-through metal detectors and bag checks. The process was often scoffed at by students as it was a time-consuming task to complete in the mornings before class, with lines of Titans still forming long after the initial 8:55 bell. With OpenGate Safe Entry now being used on campus, it’s the district’s hope that it would be a safer, smoother system for regulating activity on school grounds. 

OpenGate is designed as a fully open walk-through system that allows students to keep their backpacks on as they pass through, only taking out certain metal items such as computers and three-ring binders to not trigger the detector. Due to this feature, there are no additional bag checks needed, but many students feel as though the process isn’t as time efficient as it could be.

“I feel like there’s definitely things that the school could do to make it better, like adding more lines in other buildings. We have all of the detectors in one building and the whole school has to go through it which leaves us outside until 9:30 in 18-degree weather,” freshman Abigail Mielke said.

In order to enforce that students were going through the screening process in past years, faculty would give students a wristband to be worn all day, essentially the “ticket” to enter each building. While this tactic was effective in the past, it is not being used for this year’s efforts to keep the campus a safe space. Some feel that the lack of wristbands is counterproductive because there is no monitoring of who has actually been screened.

“I think it’s pretty pointless because students can easily just avoid it and there aren’t many enforced rules or stamps or wristbands to make sure that you’ve gone through already,” freshman Max Wyngaard said.

In the building where OpenGate is held, teachers and administrators keep an eye out and instruct students to line up for the screening, but this is only in the mornings. Many West students attend dual-enrollment classes at Forsyth Tech or Career Center and make it to West later in the day, allowing them on campus without having to go through the detectors at all.

“The screenings are pointless because anyone that comes from Career Center or Forsyth Tech doesn’t have to do it. There aren’t any wristbands so it’s just a waste of time honestly,” senior Ava Yoder said.

Although the new screening process hasn’t been well-received for many of the students, the system will be in operation for the first three weeks of the quarter. OpenGate is brand new to both West students and the faculty, ultimately making it a learning experience for everyone.