Sarah Fee ’26 and Kourtney Bailey ’26

 Are fobs here to ease administrators’ fears and “what-if” questions, or are they just a hindrance throughout the day? The key fobs at St. Andrew’s have recently been a topic of conversation. Ever since the arrival of these fobs, there have been more and more complaints about locked doors.

 Many students feel the use of the key fobs is inconvenient. Sophomore Katie Smith says it’s a good safety precaution but “they’re just a hassle.” Students even went as far as to make jokes about the fobs and locked doors in their skits during the homecoming tents, so it is likely that they’re not very popular amongst the upper schoolers here at St. Andrew’s.

Throughout the school day you will find students struggling to open the main building doors. At times, the middle school entrance will be crammed with students due to the fobs and their confusing technicalities. Often, students who forgot or lost their fobs will wait patiently at the doors hoping for someone to let them in. Unfortunately, this leads to late arrivals for class and often missing important meetings with teachers or others. When talking to students about key fobs, the most common responses are negative. 

Some students may ask, why lock the doors in the first place? According to Mr. Caceres, the faculty here at St. Andrews has been using these fobs for over a year now. And although administrators understand that students may not like the fobs, safety is still the number one priority. This new system of students using key fobs was also once new to administrators as well, so they are aware of the burdens they might cause and how much of a hindrance they can be. But according to Mr. Brown, “that’s the intent.” The fobs are meant to hinder outsiders who are not meant to be entering the school building, and that is what is important for our community; to be safely protected at our school.

While many students dislike the fobs, there are just as many that have an appreciation for them. Rhian Williams, a junior, says that the fobs are definitely “annoying” at times, but they led to a higher level of school safety in the long run. 

 Although the fobs might take some time for getting used to the new system, one thing that all students, staff, administrators, and even parents can all agree on, is that keeping the school secure and protecting the students is more important than anything else.

Photograph by Joshua Cohen