Following recent events across the country, the West Delaware School District personnel and Principal Tim Felderman have taken steps to increase safety and to prepare students and staff for the possibility of an intruder.

When Felderman started at West Delaware, school leaders had already installed video cameras in order to have eyes in the hallways at all times.

Felderman felt the district was a bit too friendly and wanted to create a policy that could make the building more secure.

In the fall of 2015, Felderman started the locked door policy to prevent intruders from entering the building.

On Mar. 1, 2016, Keystone AEA personnel informed students and staff about active shooter preparedness. The following month Felderman began emergency drills where he interrupted classes every other month to read a scenario for students and teachers to discuss.

The administration has also discussed holding evacuation drills when the weather gets warmer. At the moment administrators plan to continue talking to students and staff, making sure the doors stay locked and continuing to look for activities that will help West Delaware to be more prepared.

Felderman is passionate about the need to incorporate preparedness and the need to be aware in the school environment.

“While working here this school has started to feel like family,” Felderman said. “I care very much about each and every person at West Delaware.”

Felderman feels everyone should feel safe coming to school.

“No child should have to worry about a shooter attacking their school,” Felderman said. “I don’t ever want anything like that to happen here, and in order to insure that worry isn’t present in the school environment, we need to take every precaution.”