CHS staff received access cards that will allow them to use card scanners outside the school to enter the building during certain hours.

CHS will now be locking doors during the school day, with the exception of 6:45 to 7:30 a.m. when students arrive.

“The most important effect of the cards is that they bring a greater level of safety to the school,” Principal Joan Benz said.

MCPS representatives installed computers which will provide screens to show who is outside the front door. Students and visitors who do not have access cards will have to be buzzed in from the main office to enter the school.

“Elementary schools have already had these cards for about a year,” Benz said.

According to sophomore Ben Birnbach, locking the doors is a good idea because students will feel safer knowing that a random person cannot enter the school without being buzzed in.

Although many students agree that the doors being locked increases safety, others view the idea of waiting outside to be buzzed in as an inconvenience.

According to junior Gina Dehdashty, a more effective method would be to have students use their ID cards as access cards, so that both students and staff could enter the school without having to be buzzed in.

The door access card system went into place March 9, and it may take time for CHS staff and students to adjust. AP Psychology teacher Jared Pulliam, however, believes the transition should not be too difficult.

“The cards are a precautionary measure,” Pulliam said. “The cards help make the school more safe.”