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Florida State students seek locks on all classroom doors following fatal campus shooting

Jupiter native Sarah Walker among those pushing for change

(AP Photo/Gary McCullough)

The word "Unconquered," is written by flowers placed near the Florida State Student Union building, Tallahassee, Fla., Friday, April 18, 2025.

By: Michael Hoffman

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — While the Florida State University community is still reeling from last week’s fatal shooting, two students, including one from Jupiter, are looking to bring positive change out of a tragic situation.

They’ve gathered tens of thousands of signatures to get locks on all classroom doors at FSU, after they say not all rooms at the school have locks.

WATCH BELOW: FSU students seek change after shooting

FSU students seeks locks on all classroom doors after shooting

They say they realized this after their professors and fellow students had to barricade and hold doors closed while a shooter opened fire on the campus.

WPTV reporter Michael Hoffman is seeking solutions and listening to the concerns of those students who say they want to work with the school to make some positive change.

As Meghan Bannister and Jupiter native Sarah Walker were sitting in their last class of their college careers, something unusual happened.

Jupiter native Sarah Walker and Meghan Bannister speak to WPTV reporter Michael Hoffman about their push to get locks on all classroom doors at Florida State University.

"My good friend, sitting right next to me, showed me a text on her phone from her boyfriend saying that there was a shooter on our campus in a location immediately next to our classroom," Bannister said. "I immediately dismissed it."

She said they’ve heard of unfounded threats of shootings before, but this was different.

"All of our phones got a text message saying, 'go into lockdown,'" Bannister said. 'So, at that moment, I knew that this was not a drill. This was real. This was actually happening."

They told WPTV that when the alerts started, they began securing the room.

Local mom of FSU student recounts frantic texts from daughter during shooting

"I yelled, 'Lock the doors, start stacking the chairs,'" Walker said. "That's when someone yelled, 'There are no locks.' That definitely amplified the fear. You could just feel it in the room, the energy shift, people already not feeling safe. That's when people physically started shaking."

Once they were all safe, the two students said they heard from many other students that they had the same issue. A door to their classroom couldn't lock from the inside.

So, they decided to act, starting a petition that's gotten tens of thousands of signatures in just a few days. It includes many testimonials from students and others who were affected by the lack of locks on campus.

"When I was in that moment, where I was up against the wall, waiting and waiting for either safety or for the worst to happen," said Bannister, "if a threat wanted to enter the classroom, they could. There was nothing stopping them."

They say they don't blame the school for the lack of locks, they just want to start a dialogue with the school they love to get some positive change.

"That's really what we're looking for, to work with our beautiful university, Florida State, to work with them," Walker said.

Florida State sent WPTV the following statement regarding safety on campus:

"Ensuring the safety and well-being of our campus community remains our foremost priority. Florida State University is continually reviewing and assessing our security protocols to ensure the safety of everyone on campus. Several layers of security are in place, including a robust police department that responded accordingly last Thursday."

Read more of WPTV's coverage below: