CedarBridge Academy has become a fortress of education as students are now locked in to learn.

The school's new principal Kalmar Richards has instituted much strict security measures, including issuing identification cards to students and literally locking them in the school.

The main entrance gate to the school at Prospect is shut and locked soon after the start of the school day and access diverted to a single side door in the middle of the building.

"The main gate is locked at 8.40 a.m.,'' Mrs. Richards said. "Anyone coming to the school after that time must enter at the side entrance.'' The move represents a huge reduction in access to the Island's largest school.

Last year four double doors, two single ones and the main entrance, were left open during the school day.

Now the single side door is manned all day by a CedarBridge security officer and all guests have to sign in and out.

"We don't want a lot of people coming in and creating interruption,'' Mrs.

Richards explained. "This is an institution of learning and students should be in class.

"Students are not allowed off the premises except to attend appointments.'' Although the clampdown severely restricts the movement of all inside the building, Mrs. Richards stressed that no fire regulations are being contravened.

"We have a fire and hurricane evacuation plan,'' she noted. "The locked doors in no way compromise the safety and security of us in the building.'' Mrs. Richards also allayed concerns that the school, which was designed as wheelchair accessible, had violated that access by locking so many entrances.

"The security desk is manned all day and if someone in a wheelchair needs access,'' she pointed out, "the guard, if necessary, will get up and unlock the other side of the door.

"Also the door that is open, is closest to the handicapped parking,'' she added.

The new security measures, implemented in September, also require students, teachers and staff to wear a special CedarBridge photo identification card at all times.

Modelled along the same lines as ID cards in many foreign colleges and universities, students and staff while on the school grounds must keep them close at hand.

"Every morning CedarBridge students are greeted by the principal and the deputy teachers at the main entrance to the school,'' Mrs. Richards pointed out, "and they must have their ID.'' "All at CedarBridge have ID cards from the principal on down,'' she said.

"All teachers, staff, security and custodians, in addition to the students.

"When you have a school as large as we have it becomes impossible for everyone to know each student. This allows a quicker follow as students are readily recognisable.'' "For example,'' she added, "if a teacher has to question a student on the spot, the student cannot lie about who they are and give either the wrong or a false name. The ID card says exactly who they are.'' Most students and teachers wear their security identification cards on long chains around their necks.