A year after the incident at Stoneman Douglas High School where 17 students and staff lost their lives in a shooting on February 14, 2018, the county and school district have done some adjustments to various safety methods in regards to shootings and intruder prevention.

Due to students’ revolting against the gun policies in Florida and around the U.S.  the school, amongst many others, has begun to take action.

According to Campus Life Security.com,  Stoneman Douglas has seemingly increased the presence of security around campus and are now requiring students, staff, and teachers to carry around new ID’s in order to access the campuses main access points. Officers will also monitor traffic to ensure only students with the ID are entering.

It is said that three police officers provided by the Broward Sheriff’s Office will patrol the campus along with 15 monitors, security specialist’s and 18 security officials. They are also set to monitor new security cameras that are all around campus, and officials are now equipped with portable metal detectors.

They have also done some significant changes to the buildings and the campus. After the massacre the state offered Stoneman Douglas a reimbursement of 26 million dollars for the tragedy, which they have accepted in order to make modifications to their campus. They plan to destroy the 1200 building which was where the shooting broke out, they also plan to make a memorial for the fallen ones who died in the building. The building also now has a 12-foot permanent fence and the classrooms that were once functional in that building have been replaced by 34 portables. They are considering to build another building in a different location on campus, according to Campus Life Security.com.

According to Campus Life Security.com  Not only did they replace classrooms in building 1200, but they also used the budget donated by the state to replace each and every door. They have new implemented designs which allows them to lock automatically yet allows teachers and students to exit without restriction. In the main office a new feature was also introduced, it’s a buzzer which allows teachers and staff to know when a student is present behind the door.

While everything mentioned has been in regards to upgrading the buildings for better security, the school didn’t leave out the mental and emotional state of their students. Around the school, they’re being encouraged to report bullying. Nicolas Cruz, the school shooter, was apparently bullied during the years he attended Stoneman Douglas High School which is believed by many people that it could have been the reason of the shooting. Teachers are now taking extra precautions with their current students because of this incident. His brother, Zachary Cruz, was also reported making a anti-bullying hotline for affected kids who need help, according to Sun Sentinel.

Not only are they encouraging students to do what’s right, but this 2018-2019 school year, Stoneman Douglas has taken in therapy dogs and a teacup pig as emotional support for affected students, according to wusfnews.edu. The pig and two dogs are trained to be calm and quiet in any situation. Furthermore, the school is considering putting the animals on their yearbook as they have helped many students deal with the trauma that came along with the shooting. One student that has reportedly been helped by these animals is William Olson, who, along with sixteen other students, was injured during the shooting. Many of the parents of these students have come out to say that the pets have made going back easier.

In fact, other states are being inspired by the actions that Stoneman Douglas has taken this past year. For instance, in New Jersey, a law called Alyssa’s Law was recently passed, according to Campus Life Security.com. It requires schools to install silent panic alarms that will alert police in the case of an emergency . Lori and Ian, Alyssa’s parents, claim that they believe that installing these silent alarms could make a difference in schools.