When Kimberly Figueroa-Oliveira became principal last fall, she noticed that, unlike other public schools, Daniel Pearl Magnet High School (DPMHS) didn’t have a secure gate to protect the students. On March 9, that began to change.

“It kind of scared me how people could just go in and out,” Figueroa said.  “Bigger schools have the system because it helps keep us safe within, but also screens who comes on campus.”

According to Magnet Coordinator James Morrison, the installation of the gate had been talked about for around three years. The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) wanted all schools to have the same type of gate to keep students safe. However, the district was busy with other schools, starting with installing gates in elementary schools and ending with high schools. However, the two incidents in the fall with students bringing weapons to school made the need for a locked gate more urgent.

“I think the new gate is fantastic and that it’s something that’s needed to happen for a long time,” Morrison said.

The gate was installed earlier this month, but the screening system won’t be fully implemented until likely later this school year, according to Morrison. Once the gate is fully functioning, it will be locked during the school day while the buzzer screens who is trying to enter. The school administration looks at the video footage and if they decide that the person trying to enter should be let in, then whoever is watching over the footage presses a button that lets the person in. While the gate is not fully implemented, it will likely be later in the school year.

Students like sophomore Jake Galdamez agree that the new gate is a positive change.

“It’s unique and it looks a lot better than the old one,” Galdamez said. “It looks secure, unlike that old, 90-year-old-looking one.”