Karryn MacDonald
Staff Writer
Tucked away in the College of Education building
on the University of Wyoming campus sits the UW Lab School.
Here, over 270 kindergarten through eighth grade students are provided with elementary and junior high education while over 400 UW students are learning how to teach. The school is part of the Albany County School District and is a public school of choice where students enter a lottery to be able to attend.
Rumors of changes within the lab school began circulating near the end of February. Then, on March 9, the lab school announced plans to enhance the security within the Education Building.
“We are not prepared to discuss much of what is going on right now as meetings are still happening and things are still undecided, but this [security system] is intended to be implemented over Spring Break and will be complete[d] by the 23rd of March,” said Debbie Martinez, representative from the Dean of Education’s Office.
A few students around campus have expressed their concern as to how the security system will affect their ability to attend some classes and what this means for the Education Building.
According to an article on the University of Wyoming’s website, the presence of the UW Lab School within the Education Building has forced them to adopt the Albany County School District 1 entry policy during Lab School hours.
Students will still be able to enter the College of Education dean’s office via the public doors from Prexy’s Pasture, but only education faculty, staff and students will be able to enter the rest of the building with their WyoOne ID cards.
To visit an Albany County School, one must enter through secure doors and be buzzed in if they do not have a key card. The individual must then check in at the school’s office where a photo ID must be shown, then sign in and acquire a visitor’s badge.
“We are doing this for the safety of our faculty and students. That being said, when the Lab School is done for the day, the building will go back to the operations of a normal UW campus building,” said Martinez.
