School security has become more of a priority —especially for students and parents— in light of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting tragedy in Newtown, Conn. Almost four months before Sandy Hook, gunfire rang out at Perry Hall High School in Baltimore County, leaving one student in the hospital and another behind bars.

It was Aug. 26, 2012, on the first day of school when police said a Perry Hall student fired the shot that hit his classmate in the school’s cafeteria. The incident brought about a number of changes in and outside of county school buildings, from metal detectors to an increased police presence, to adding new security cameras. Already, students from across the district have taken notice.

"In the office, they check your ID and they have precautions such as that, but there’s still also the chance that it can happen anywhere," said Isabelle Nowicki-Butschky, a student. The county promoted Dale Rauenzahn to a newly created position as executive director of school safety and security.

"All schools have camera systems, all schools have a visitor system, so we are tightening it up so it’s not a phase-in anymore. We do it very quickly and make sure all schools have the same protections across the board," Rauenzahn said. "You had the Perry Hall situation and then not long after that, you had Sandy Hook. How did that change what you had to do?" […]