Beginning Monday, August 26, the driveway that serves as the main entrance to the yard will be closed during school hours. Visitors to Jesuit’s campus will also have to check in with the switchboard receptionist.

Jesuit High School is continuously assessing its policies and procedures related to security and safety, both within the confines of the campus itself as well as the surrounding Mid-City neighborhood. Jesuit strives to improve upon those existing security measures by introducing appropriate new procedures that will further enhance safety for our students, parents, faculty, staff, alumni, visitors, and the Jesuits themselves.

A safe and secure environment is paramount for all who study, work, visit, or live at Carrollton and Banks.

Several months ago, a senior administrative team appointed by Fr. Raymond Fitzgerald, S.J., president of Jesuit High School, began to explore ways to strengthen security at Jesuit, with a particular emphasis on greatly reducing the potential risks associated when access to the school, administration building, and yard is relatively easy to achieve.

After careful evaluation, Fr. Fitzgerald concurred with the team’s recommendations regarding accessibility to the campus and visitors to the school.

“We are confident that these new measures will improve safety for everyone at Jesuit,” said Fr. Fitzgerald. “We are mindful that these security enhancements might increase the annoyance levels of those who will be inconvenienced. We simply ask for your understanding, patience, and cooperation. As in many other areas of school life, Jesuit moves forward from a position of strength in adopting these new safeguards.”

Parents and students should carefully review these new procedures that will take effect on Monday, Aug. 26, 2013.

New Security Safeguards Starting August 26

• On school days, from 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., the driveway gate at the main entrance to the yard on Banks Street will be closed. A security guard will be stationed at the gate during these hours to open and close it, as necessary.
• Parents dropping off and picking up students should arrive before and after these hours.
• When the main gate on Banks Street is closed from 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., only authorized personnel will be allowed access into the yard. The back gate on Palmyra Street will also remain closed during these hours, as it is already.
• Once the main gate is closed, faculty and staff attempting to enter the yard must display their Jesuit employee I.D. tags to the security guard who will then open the gate.
• For all late arrivals, early pick ups, or when students are returning to school on the same day following a medical appointment, funeral, etc., parents may pick up or drop off their sons at the main entrance on Banks Street (under the blue awning).
• Students walking to and from the Roussel Building or the gym during the day must use the pedestrian gate next to the driveway on Banks and South Solomon Streets.
• There are several parking spaces reserved for visitors in the Banks Street corner lot across from the school (corner of Banks and S. Solomon). These designated spaces face the Roussel Building. Jesuit employees have been instructed not to park in the visitor spaces.
• Visitors to any part of the school or administration building must enter via the doors under the blue awning at 4133 Banks Street (which also serves as the Jesuit Residence). For many years, the foyer inside the main entrance on Banks Street has been known as the “switchboard area.”
• Visitors must “check in” with the receptionist, who will issue a “Visitor’s Pass” which must be worn at all times.
• Visitors will print their name and time of arrival in a “log book.”
• The receptionist may ask who the visitor is meeting and/ or the purpose of the visit.
• Only after visitors check in is the receptionist allowed to unlock the glass door in the foyer that provides access into the building and school.
• Visitors must check out with the receptionist and exit via the switchboard area.
• The main entrance on Banks Street will close at 5 p.m. on weekdays; on weekends, access by visitors will also be restricted.
• Frequent volunteers for various Jesuit events will receive special tags allowing access into the yard.
• Commercial deliveries will be allowed into the yard.