By Gauri Mangala
Staff Writer

On Tuesday, April 1, three new security guards were introduced to help protect the students and staff of Neshaminy High School. The security guards were brought in from an outside security company, the Executive Protection Services. This company provides protection and surveillance services throughout the Southeastern Pennsylvania Region.

As students noticed these unfamiliar faces dressed in security uniforms in the building, questions, concerns and rumors began to float.

Security Director for Neshaminy, Cliff Fiedler, hopes that the students will quickly become accustomed to having Danielle Backsay, Bill Renson and Kevin Freeman in the school and that the guards will get to know the students as well.

“I want the students and staff of Neshaminy to feel safe coming to school. [The students] should only have to think about getting an education, not about whether or not they are safe here,” Fiedler said.

Backsay, Renson, and Freeman have background experience in the Military, Law Enforcement or Security and are all certified in CPR.

New Officer, Danielle Backsay, has been in the Army since 1994 and taught law enforcement in Afghanistan. She has since been working in school security and believes that Neshaminy is doing a good job in making the school safe for students.

“It is a pleasure to be here. Everyone has been really nice and welcoming and I am excited to get to know the students and school better,” Backsay said.

Along with new security guards, Fiedler plans on making other changes to the school and the district. “I went around to other schools to take a look at their security systems and I am trying to take some ideas from them,” Fiedler said.

This includes the new placement of the soft barricades creating a path that students take to meet the security guards upon entering the school. After homeroom, they are moved back to constrain the visitors to a certain path.

Fiedler hopes to enhance the outdoor security systems, along with the visitor center. Over the summer, Neshaminy will work on making the school more secure.

“We have to take these steps to make the parents, students, and staff of Neshaminy feel safe coming here. All of our changes will enhance that feeling and make Neshaminy a better, more efficient school,” Fiedler said.