It’s no secret that public safety has been an escalated concern over the past few years, and this rising anxiety does not exclude The Mississippi School for Math and Science.

The MSMS Director of Academic Affairs Kelly Brown says, “The biggest challenge is student autonomy. While students feel this is a restrictive environment, students have quite a bit of freedom throughout the day. During the academic day we do not prohibit students being in the residence halls, library, W room or in the academic buildings. If not in a particular class, it is hard to know where a student might need to be.”

This freedom makes it difficult for MSMS administration to keep an eye on the students. MSMS senior Kallia Cooper states, “Although I like being able to go places like the library between classes, I know it makes it difficult to ensure our safety when MSMS students are more or less scattered about campus throughout the day.”

This anxiety, however can be swayed through faith in the MUW police department, who Latoya Bledsoe (the director of the MSMS girls dormitory Goen Hall) says “are doing a good job by implementing drills, generating discussions/panels to ensure that everyone is proactive and prepared as can be in the event something happens.”
Though much is done to ensure the safety of MSMS students on the part of the MUW police department, exceptional preparation must be made considering the liability and responsibility of keeping over 200 high school students safe on a relatively open campus. MSMS faculty are trained in many ways to keep their students safe, some of which MSMS’s Frazer Hall Director Hansel Jackson mentions being “CPR, fire safety, bus safety etc. because the safety of the students is number one on our list.”

In addition to these safety measures, The MSMS Director of Academic Affairs Mrs. Kelly Brown states, “MSMS holds safety drills more often than the W does. This allows us to practice for an emergency. We have also assigned every employee a place to check in case of an emergency.”
MSMS is also taking initiative in improving the safety of its students through the installation of ID scanners. “When I heard about the scanners I thought it was a cool concept, and it made me feel like our buildings would be a lot more secure especially during the school day,” said MSMS Senior Emily Hook. According to an email sent by MSMS IT member Andy Rhea, the card readers are being installed on the entrances of the MSMS academic and residential life buildings. Once installed, any person entering the building must scan an approved MSMS ID.

Another precaution made has been the hanging of safety signs throughout the academic and residence life buildings. MSMS Girls dormitory (Goen Hall) director Latoya Bledsoe mentions that these signs reference “the procedures to follow in the event an active shooter were to target the campus. Educating our students with preparedness drills have helped to make our students more aware of how important safety is.”

MSMS plans on continuing its progression and improvement of student safety in the future. Kelly Brown states, “I would like MSMS to have our own alert app similar to one the W has that would allow faculty and staff constant reminders of what to do in a crisis. I would also like a app for students to use in signing out so we can better keep up with the location of each student.”

Though the MSMS faculty works hard to protect its students, the student must take action as well. In the words of Mrs.Kelly Brown, “Students should obey instructions given by a person in authority but also know that safety begins with the individual.”

In conclusion, Mrs. Latoya Bledsoe gives some tips on how to effectively attend to your personal safety as an MSMS student:

“1) Be aware of your surroundings at all times. If you notice anything suspicious, alert someone such as the residence life staff or an adult. If all else fails, contact the police.
2) If walking, I would suggest walking with another person (s) if you can.
3) Although tours of the campus are given, familiarize yourself with the campus and Columbus.
4) Always lock up. This includes locking doors in the residence halls [including bathroom entrance door] and personal vehicles. [never leave valuable objects visible in vehicles].”