Attentive staff and SafeUT app help keep Lancers safe

Ioana Johansson, Reporter

GRANGER High School has officers roaming around the campus to help maintain school safety. They keep students in check, encourage other students to get to class, and protect Lancers from harm. However, some students may not feel completely safe. On September 13th, a shooting happened on school grounds. The police confirmed that the shooters weren’t from Granger, but it was still on Granger’s campus.

Often times students will be in a difficult situation where they won’t feel comfortable enough to share. “If you don’t feel comfortable with a situation you could write up a note and hand it to my secretary which she then will pass it on to me,”Dr. Dunn said. Another way to contact him is by email. He will understand and try to resolve the problem immediately. 

Students could also email or talk to their counselor about safety concerns if they would like to. There are many options. Another way they could get help is the SafeUT app.You could always use the Safe UT app,” Officer Mitchener said. It’s confidential and anonymous in addition to being free for students to use.

In addition, there have been many fights at Granger this year. Although the staff and administrators feel safe, it’s the Lancers that also need to feel safe.

Students such as Dantae Marty (9) think flyers and emails should be sent out on the daily to ensure parents are informed. “Parents aren’t getting involved,” Marty said.

When he told his parents about the shooting, it kind of made him nervous. He didn’t know what to say, but he was well aware of the fact that the students involved did not attend Granger.

Granger staff is doing an excellent job at keeping Lancers safe, and takes bullying seriously.“If a student makes it unsafe for anyone, they are not welcome here,” Dr. Dunn said.  

“If there is a life or death situation, I’m gone,”  Fikry Bateo (09) said. Some may react just like Bateo, while others might try and stop whatever’s going on.

The faculty encourages Lancers to stay at school for lunch. Students who decide to cross the street are at risk because once they cross, the faculty and police can’t do anything. “We don’t know who is out there and what they’re going to do,” Officer Mitchener said.

“The shooting unnecessarily tarnishes the school,” Officer Hoffman said. He is glad that the perpetrators weren’t Lancers. The parents of some Lancers may think their students are not safe because of the area surrounding the school building. 

Students who have seen the dangers have reacted well and seem to know how to handle what’s going on. Officers say that this year, fights have become less frequent, but students say otherwise. Lancers say that when fights happen, the officers take awhile to get there and sometimes they don’t even show up.

Some are just joking around when they say they’re going to shoot up the school or set it on fire, but the consequences can be serious. No matter how the students look at it, the staff will make sure that all students and faculty are safe.