Opinion: Don’t Fence Our Safety
The great divide between students and the Tyrone Hospital.
In the interest of “community safety,” the Tyrone Hospital has erected a 6 foot fence, effectively cutting off the high school and middle school students from our only means of escape in an emergency situation.
If a fire breaks out in the middle school and the students need to be evacuated to a safe distance away from the building, using side fire exits, they won’t be able to get far enough away due to the new hospital fence. They will need to move forward and not to the side.
The fence does not keep the students attending Tyrone Area School District safe. In actuality, it is a danger to the students, potentially entrapping students if there is an emergency at the school.
Especially with the recent bomb threat that occurred on November 19th, the first priority of the hospital as well as the school should be the safety of the children attending the Tyrone Middle and High School.
If an armed gunman comes into the front door of the school, and our only means of escape is the side of the middle school, again, our escape route will be blocked by a 6 foot high fence, effectively cutting off our only chances to escape safely. We will still be in a shooter’s range at the fence and unable to get away.
This is all in the name of insurance liability, not student safety. Some insurance agent determined that if a student was hit by a car on Hospital Drive, then the hospital would be liable.
What that reasoning doesn’t take into account is that the students now walk further and longer on Hospital Drive. Before, they merely crossed it. Now we are forced to walk along it with no sidewalks as cars speed past us. Others choose a more dangerous route and jump over it. Others are walking a path through the woods. That adds an additional level of danger.
The fence increases students’ chances of getting hit by a car on the hospital road and we’re even more likely to get hit when walking across the school road with heavy traffic.
When will common sense prevail? There should be an open gate at the side closest to the hospital. Students could cross there safely. Add a pedestrian cross walk.
People in the community walk the same route throughout the day. This affects students and adults alike.
I know it’s not a big deal to many, but for me to have to take an alternate route to get to and from school is ridiculous, especially because I live right there.
The reaction initiated by the Tyrone Hospital because a few parents decided to disobey the parking signs is making it more dangerous for the rest of the students who walk home. Add a gate and enforce the parking ban.
Senior Morgan Bridges is a four year Eagle Eye veteran. She is the Eagle Eye's Social Media Director for the second year in a row. She is involved in...
Alexis Stevens • Jan 5, 2016 at 3:11 pm
Take it down people, just take it down
John • Jan 5, 2016 at 3:06 pm
If we are moving away from the building thats still getting away.
If we have that fence we arent trapped in. you can walk around it.
and kids now a days need more exercise anyway so let them walk the extra couple of steps to get around the fence
Kolbslice • Jan 5, 2016 at 3:04 pm
Hey I’ve got a suggestion! Why don’t you just climb the thing if it’s that bad of emergency!
cameron noll • Jan 5, 2016 at 2:22 pm
take er down
david • Jan 5, 2016 at 1:37 pm
We should be safe.
Connor Gority • Jan 5, 2016 at 12:45 pm
Sounds like a great idea. Take the fence down, or at least put a couple crosswalks and gates up.
Devin • Jan 5, 2016 at 11:49 am
i agree we do not need that fence
skylar witchley • Dec 3, 2015 at 8:37 am
they should take it down because some kids have to walk from the hospital to the school and it’s a big big safety issue and what would the middle school do if something happens and the school, had to be evacuated
colin • Dec 1, 2015 at 10:44 am
that’s what I was thinking they should take it down