The start of the 2013-2014 school year brought many changes and new rules. One of these changes was locking all doors besides those that lead to the library and main office in the front of the school. For those students that park in the commons parking lot, this has become somewhat of a hassle. Students that are tardy coming back from lunch usually have to walk around to the front of the building, causing them to be even later to class. Although the tardiness throughout the school has improved, the issue still needs to be taken care of. Members of administration, such as Officer Tim Eirich, feel strongly about students getting to school on time. “Part of the learning process is getting to school in a timely matter,” Eirich says. Being a punctual student prepares you for the rest of your life in college and in the work force. Many students think that locking the doors is mean and unfair to have the commons doors locked, but what many students do not know is that the biggest reason for the building being locked up during the day, is mainly to maintain safety and security. According to Eirich, there were more than four instances where random strangers were walking the building last year without an explanation for why they were there. Because of this, it would only be logical to lock the doors to prevent people that could potentially be unsafe to South High from getting into the school. This is an excellent way of keeping the learning environment safe, but having the commons doors locked during the day does come off as an inconvenience for some students. Students with release periods are all juniors and seniors. This means that many of these students drive their own cars to school and must park in the commons parking lot. Walking around the school from the commons parking lot to the front doors is an issue the way it is, but now that the winter months are approaching, it has become an even bigger problem. Having a release hour during your day is a privilege, but knowing that you have to walk around the building defeats part of the purpose of having that time off. Staff members of South High can agree that there is no good process for those students who have release periods, and they do feel sorry that they need to walk all the way around the building, especially in the cold weather. Eirich says that if the money were there, it would be extremely convenient to have card swipes at the commons entrances. For right now, the funds are not there to support that idea. Many people question what will happen next year when the flexible scheduling will be active when everyone’s schedules will be different. To answer that question, administration is looking at different ways to make the building more accessible with students coming and going throughout the day.