Homestead High School making safety changes in wake of CT tragedy

MEQUON -- Homestead High School in Mequon is making some safety changes in the New Year, in the wake of the tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

Tuesday, January 2nd was the first day back for Homestead students after winter break, and they came back to heightened security and new rules.

In a statement, Homestead High School's principal, Brett Bowers said: "Sadly, we all know that Homestead can never be completely safe from threats of violence. At the same time, school and district officials have an obligation to do whatever is possible and reasonable to keep our school safe."

The safety changes come after the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut that claimed 26 lives.

"That horrible loss of life has caused schools and school districts across the country to re-examine their safety and security protocols," Bowers said in the statement.

The safety changes include:

The district will keep other existing procedures in place, like keeping doors locked during school hours, requiring visitors to sign in and keeping the buzz-in system at its middle and elementary schools.

In the statement, Bowers indicated other safety measures are being discussed across the Mequon-Thiensville School District.

I'm all for security measures. I certainly think when you're not with your kids, you're always concerned about them. I'm very comfortable with Mequon and certainly comfortable that Homestead takes all the necessary measures," parent Barbara Allen said.