Approaching West’s doors near the YMCA entrance, it’s not uncommon to see groups of people peering through the windows, knocking on the doors, or calling friends. The doors near the Y entrance, or the Y doors, are almost always locked, leaving some students confused as to why.

“I used to go in through the Y doors, but lately I’ve been going in the Life Skills door,” junior Collin Cervantes said. “The doors are always locked, can’t get in.”

Having an entrance to the school being locked has its consequences, even if students have the alternative.

“When I was in algebra II first block, I was late quite a few times,” junior Hailee Boisen said. “My first and fourth blocks are near the Y doors, so I don’t want to park somewhere else.”

Security guard Ramiro Hernandez spoke on how West’s security functions and why the Y doors need to be locked.

“In the mornings, I’m stationed at the ATM, so I can monitor the traffic that comes in the sports entrance,” Hernandez said. “We want people to come in a certain number of doors specifically to limit the possibility of people coming into our school that shouldn’t be here. It’s easier to monitor that way, rather than having every single door unlocked.”

It seems to some that despite the safety hazards, the Y doors do not not need to be locked.

“I guess it makes sense that the doors are locked for safety, but there’s an easy solution, just put a teacher there,” Cervantes said.

It seems that there are no clear solutions, and unless West expands the security staff, students may have to give up on using the Y entrance, and find a door that is monitored.

“We only have so many people that can monitor these doors, so it’s just easier for us to keep the doors locked,” Hernandez said.