ANCHOR BAY (WWJ) -- When school starts on Tuesday, Anchor Bay School District will have a new addition -- armed security.
District officials have made the decision to have five armed guards patrolling the halls during the school day.
The guards were hired from a private firm in Brighton and are military veterans and law enforcement officers.
This update to security measures comes after the devastating Oxford High School and Uvalde, Texas, school shootings that occurred last school year.
Superintendent Phil Jankowski believes the added security is the right decision and that it is best to prepare for the unknown. The addition of armed guards marks a $200,000 investment by the school district.
While there has not been any significant pushback on the presence of armed security, Anchor Bay senior and student council president Mary Williams told WWJ that she expects mixed reactions from students once the school year begins.
"I cannot speak for the whole student body, but I'm sure there's going to be a lot of controversy with it," Williams said. "I know there's going to be some people who feel much safer, but there could be other students who don't feel as safe."
If students are nervous about having armed guards in the school, there are plenty of staff members available to help them adjust.
"We have counselors people can talk to," Williams said. "We have other security guards around school that we've always had. We have an officer in the school. We have multiple vice principals and principals for kids... if they need to talk to anybody."
Williams herself welcomes the new hall patrols but wishes they were not necessary.
"I think it's nice to know that there will be armed guards at our school if something were to happen," she said, "but it really feels horrible to know that this is the world we have to live in and what we have to get used to now."
700 door barricades are also being placed around district buildings as an added deterrent.
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