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SALINEVILLE -- A $200,000 grant allocation is helping Southern Local Schools boost its security systems and promote a safer learning environment.
Southern was among more than 700 school districts selected for Ohio K-12 School Safety Grants with about $100 million being disbursed in 57 counties, and it will utilize its portion to upgrade cameras and access mechanisms around its buildings. District Federal Programs Coordinator Kristy Sampson said the elementary and junior/senior high school structures each gained $100,000 for the upgrades, and some of the equipment has already been purchased while more was being procured.
"We are getting camera upgrades and security upgrades in the buildings and it has to be done before September of 2024," Sampson said. "It can also reimburse the schools for costs of work done between Jan. 1, 2022, and Dec. 30, 2023. We had to complete a safety needs assessment that was done by our School Resource Officer Deputy Jeff Haugh and Advanced Training Group Worldwide (ATG) of Lisbon. The goal is to increase our score on the safety assessment and align ourselves with the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS) school safety checklist and decrease vulnerabilities to catastrophic situations."
The schools' assessments showed some areas in need of improvement with regards to equipment and monitoring, and now leaders are taking steps to rectify the matter so the district's faculty, staff and estimated 745 PreK-12 students can focus on education.
"They will be updating outdated equipment as well as adding more safety features for areas that may not be efficiently covered," she said. "Some of the items have been purchased and we'll be reimbursed and others will be completed by the end of this school year."
Haugh and District Technology Director Josh Manist have already helped acquire updated hand-held safety radios, windshield dashcams for school buses, metal detector wands, Tattletale security pagers and additional scanners for badges that are mounted at the entrances. Future purchases include ballistic window film, cameras, software upgrades, portable road barriers and weather stations, the latter of which will be placed outside the elementary and high school buildings.
Sampson noted that some work may continue, but all of the updates should be completed by the 2024 deadline. Meanwhile, she was pleased to see the district gain a grant award since it was a competitive process.
"It's great to be approved and be able to provide more effective and efficient safety and security measures in both buildings."
Superintendent Tom Cunningham echoed the comment, saying Sampson and Haugh were very involved in the planning stages.
"We're really fortunate to receive that funding. Mrs. Sampson and Deputy Haugh did a lot of work with the analysis on our buildings and what the security needs were," he said. "It definitely helps the district and the upgrades will be long-lasting."
Meanwhile, the district previously conducted safety drills involving an active intruder scenario and bomb threat, which also included the lockdown and evacuation of students and participation of local safety forces to test the school safety plan. Officials said more scenarios are eyed in the future.