Former Parking Lot Attendant Darryl Heaton retires
RBHS principal Jacob Sirna sent an email to staff Nov. 10 announcing the retirement of RBHS Parking Lot Attendant Darryl Heaton after an extended period of administrative leave. In the same memo, Sirna said three Building Safety and Security Aid positions will replace Heaton. Currently, Heather Fowler, who will be positioned at the North entrance, and Clint Paulson, monitoring the east entrance, filled two of the three job vacancies. A third staff member, who will rotate roles with the other two as well as check the parking lots, is still completing the hiring process but Sirna expects him or her to start at the beginning of this week.
“Darryl was incredibly effective in his position and a friendly face [and] conversation we could all count on when we needed it,” Sirna said in the email. “While we are sad to lose him, we are grateful to have had him in our RBHS family.”
Students react to building safety, security hires
Assistant Principal Dr. Timothy Baker, to prepare students for Heather Fowler, who will be positioned at the North entrance, and Clint Paulson, monitoring the east entrance, sent an email to the RBHS student body Nov. 11. He said during the next few weeks students “may be greeted and/or questioned” by the new staff while they become familiar with the new environment. He suggested students carry their student ID; however, he said there would not be major consequences if one forgot.
The three new full time positions come with a salary range of $13.90 to $19.46 per hour, according to the Columbia Public Schools (CPS) job hiring site. Dr. Baker said the CPS administration made the decision to increase staff, and it’s a change he endorses.
He suggested students carry their student ID; however, he said there would not be major consequences if one forgot.
“[If one forgot their ID and was asked,] they would just call somebody and say, ‘What’s your student number?’ and then look you up and verify it’s the same person,” Dr. Baker said. “There’s not going to be any harassment or not letting you in.”
Once the North entrance is completely renovated with an office for the security aid and another double set of doors, he said the new process will be much more effective at protecting RBHS.
“The couple of times we’ve had major incidents around here, nothing in the last couple of years, but a couple times we’ve had major incidents is when people come in from off the street who do not belong here,” Dr. Baker said. “And they want to do something bad. That wouldn’t happen if we had somebody at the doors asking and checking people in and out.”
Senior Alice Hert, however, said she dislikes the new system. While she doesn’t think it will pose too much of an inconvenience, she said there are better ways the money used for security could be allocated.
“I think it’s a complete waste of money. Honestly, to hire three people, three [full time employees], at that point it would just be better to give students cards that they can manually swipe in,” Hert said. “The problem isn’t a lack of security; it’s a lack of gun control.”
Hert said while she understands CPS is trying to be proactive, the money should be spent to improve the education system, not try and prevent an elusive tragedy.
“Like they could put their money into much better [places] to support certain parts [of the school],” Hert said, “ Like in different clubs and putting it into more extracurricular and like parts [of the school] that are actually underfunded.”
Freshman Stanley Walker, however, prefers the new system over the intercom system, in which a student buzzes in and a secretary looking through a security camera grants his or her entrance.
“The intercom is too nice because you just ring the intercom and they let everyone in,” Walker said. “Like my dad, he [came] in all black, but he could’ve been a school shooter, and they would’ve just let him in.”
Dr. Baker said there has been support and backlash in response to the new process; however, he said that can be expected by changes.
“I know a lot of people complained in the beginning. A lot of people complained [about] the parking lots, the vestibules, all these things,” Baker said. “Has it changed your life at all? Has it become a major inconvenience that you thought, or maybe your friends, thought it was going to be? No.”
Do you support the new changes? Let us know in the comments below.
Security changes to RBHS in order:
1. During the summer, construction began to renovate the North entrance. Instead of one set of double doors, there will be two and a chamber for a Building Safety and Security Aid to reside.
As school shootings have become more prevalent in America, Columbia Public Schools (CPS), as well as other school districts around the country, are hardening their buildings. The 2019-20 district budget allocated $200,000 to updating safety and security at RBHS. Subsequently, the bulk of this funding has been devoted to remodeling the North entrance, which is the only entrance accessible to students. 
Hardening efforts affect student life
2. RBHS changed to a single entrance school by closing the South entrance to students and designating South to faculty and North to students beginning this school year.
New changes require students to park in the north parking lot Story by Ryan Choe At the beginning of the 2019-20 school year, administration implemented a new parking system for students and faculty under directions from Columbia Public Schools. Prior to the new scheme, students and faculty were permitted to park in either the north…
Changes to parking lot system create controversy among students, parents
William Yoo • Nov 21, 2019 at 12:03 pm
It’ll be interesting to see how this system matures over time.