In light of the school shooting that took place in Connecticut last week, a Hernando County school is going above and beyond in an attempt to protect students and staff.
Some temporary rules are in place at Challenger K-8 School in Spring Hill. For the most part, it's business as usual at the school, which is how Principal Sue Stoops wants it, but she has also made some security decisions.
"Just being a little extra careful right now," she said.
Stoops said she is a little concerned about a possible copycat shooter.
"Usually if they are going to do that they do it fairly quickly afterwards," she said.
The front door of the school has been locked, which is the first time in the school's history that it has been locked for an extended period of time. All of the other doors at Challenger are always kept locked.
Nobody gets into the school until their ID has been check. Also, no volunteers will be allowed at the school unless they were already on the schedule prior to this week. Also, anyone who plans to attend a holiday party or play must get their name on a list.
Tiffany Mosley, who has a daughter at Challenger and a son at another school, said she thinks locking the front door is a no-brainer.
"Kind of surprised one school is doing it and one wasn’t," she said. "I think it’s a good idea."
Stoops said she hopes that the changes will help give everyone some peace of mind.
"I just think it is one more layer of security that gives a little bit of comfort to the parents and staff," she said.
Stoops said she will keep the security measures in place until the holiday break.