A Major Change to the Morning Routine
At Colonia High School, the start of the school day has changed significantly over the course of this school year due to the implementation of new security procedures. During previous school years, the first bell rang at 7:40 a.m., giving students time to enter the building, visit lockers, and get to class before the late bell rang at 7:50 a.m. Attendance was traditionally taken at that time, and students were expected to already be seated in class.
However, at the beginning of this school year, the school introduced metal detectors and additional security screening procedures at the entrances. Because every student now had to pass through the scanners before entering the building, the lines quickly became extremely long each morning. As a result, students were often not entering the school until around 8:00 a.m. or even later, and attendance procedures became more relaxed to accommodate the delays.
Security Procedures Similar to TSA Screening
The new entrance process has often been compared by students to security procedures used by the Transportation Security Administration at airports. Each morning, students must walk through metal detectors before being allowed into the building. If the machine beeps, the student is stopped and checked further using a handheld wand detector to identify what caused the alarm.
Even everyday items have become an issue during the screening process. Heavy metal belts, large keychains, metal binders, and other metallic accessories can easily trigger the detectors. Metal water bottles were also banned because they consistently set off the machines and slowed down the process even more. Since hundreds of students are entering the building within a short period of time, even a few delays can create extremely long lines outside the entrances.
Because of these security checks, many students became used to entering the building after 8:00 a.m. during the first part of the school year. In some cases, students were not making it to class until 8:10 or even 8:15 due to the crowded lines and slow-moving screening procedures.
The Return to the Original Attendance Expectations
As of a few weeks ago, Principal Christopher Chiera has reinstated stricter attendance expectations. Students are now once again required to be in their classrooms by 7:50 a.m., just as they were in previous years before the new security system was introduced. Delayed attendance due to long entrance lines is no longer treated the same way it was earlier in the year.
This change means that students must arrive at school earlier and move through the security process more efficiently in order to avoid being marked late. Many students have had to adjust their morning schedules by arriving earlier than they did during the first months of the school year. The return to the original attendance expectations has also encouraged students to prepare ahead of time by avoiding unnecessary metal items that could delay them at the scanners.
Balancing Safety and Efficiency
Although the new procedures can sometimes feel stressful or inconvenient, they were implemented with student safety in mind. Schools across the country have increased security measures in recent years, and Colonia High School’s updated system reflects that growing focus on maintaining a safe learning environment. At the same time, the school administration is also working to maintain organization and punctuality by returning to the original 7:50 attendance policy.
Overall, the combination of stricter security procedures and renewed attendance expectations has created a very different morning experience for students at Colonia High School. From TSA-style screenings to tighter timing expectations, students have had to adapt quickly to a new routine that emphasizes both safety and responsibility.
