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Safety equipment first on list of supplies for schools this year

Safety equipment first on list of supplies for schools this year

Aaron Miller, supervisor of buildings and grounds for the Boardman Local School District, shows off the capabilities of a new camera system that will eliminate dead spots, as well as provide a clearer picture and store recordings longer. Staff photo / Emily Scott

Twenty-three schools in the Mahoning Valley were awarded $2.7 million by the state to use toward safety measures ahead of the upcoming school year.

Funds will be used to cover expenses associated with physical security enhancements such as cameras, public address systems, automatic door locks, visitor badging systems and exterior lighting. A first round of funding went out in May and all the schools included in this second round were not included in the first.

“With the start of the new school year quickly approaching, we want students, staff, and parents to know that we care about school safety, and we’re working every day to make sure that rural, urban and suburban schools alike have the safety and security resources they need,” Gov. Mike DeWine said Tuesday.

BOARDMAN

In Mahoning County, $1.9 million was awarded to 13 schools, including $279,310 to the Boardman Local School District. Last year, Tim DelVecchio of the Ohio School Council’s security services assessed each building in the Boardman school district, which was a requirement in applying to receive this grant.

“Once we got that assessment, we started looking at what we should upgrade because we should always be looking to update our building safety,” Brian Fonderlin, director of operations for Boardman schools, said.

Schools applied for the grant at the end of last year. Those who were not awarded money in the first round thought they had been passed up and did not know a second round was coming. Boardman decided to go ahead with the planned safety improvements when they thought they were getting no funding assistance. Now, the money the district received will go toward the improvements already in motion.

The funds from this grant will primarily go toward exterior lighting and security camera upgrades. All exterior lights will be changed to LED, which is brighter, and some lights will be added to get rid of dead spots. The camera system will also be upgraded to eliminate dead spots, as well as to have a clearer picture and store recordings longer.

Other improvements the district is making at the start of the school year is upgrading the two-way radios between the schools and emergency responders, replacing 20 exterior doors, installing 450 lockdown door locks, upgrading the speaker system, implementing phones in each classroom that can make out-of-building calls and creating two outdoor classrooms.

“Can we do other things? Absolutely. We can always be improving,” Fonderlin said. “But this will get us started before deciding what to do next.”

YOUNGSTOWN

The Youngstown City School District also is in the process of upgrading its camera system, and the money it was awarded will go toward these improvements in 11 of its 14 buildings. The district was awarded $550,000 — the most of any district in the Mahoning Valley.

CEO Justin Jennings said the cameras that will be installed have several new features, including the ability to detect heat, smoke and vape. He noted that these improvements will not just make students and staff safer, but also will help keep community members safe and the building grounds protected. The money may also go toward parking lot repairs and upgrading district radios from analog to digital.

POLAND

In Poland, the focus with these funds will be on exterior improvements because Superintendent Craig Hockenberry said the district already has done a lot to strengthen the internal security of its buildings.

“It’s not cheap to make these upgrades, so we are very fortunate to have received this funding,” Hockenberry said.

The district will be upgrading its key system for the external doors, as well as the cameras near the entrances. Other improvements include better outdoor lighting, clearer signage and shatter-resistant window coverings that don’t allow people to see into the building.

Hockenberry said he also wants to look into using the money to create safety vestibules, so when visitors enter the building they are confined in a waiting area before having access to the entire building. He also wants to work with first responders so they have better access in cases of emergencies.

OTHERS

Struthers City Schools and South Range Local Schools each will be using the money to make improvements to their public address systems to allow for better communication throughout the districts. Because this round of funding was unexpected, South Range already had started looking for different funding sources to make its upgrades. The district also will be adding shatter-resistent window covers.

Superintendent Bethany Carlson said that without these funds, adding window coverings would have taken two to four years to complete. Now, the entire district can get the covers in one round.

Throughout the state, $47 million was awarded to more than 1,100 schools. Districts included in this round must have everything contracted by Dec. 31, 2023, and completed by Sept. 30, 2024.This money comes just 10 weeks after an 18-year-old fatally shot 19 students and two teachers and wounded 17 others at Robb Elementary School is Uvalde, Texas.

“People are concerned, not just in Poland, but around the United States,” Hockenberry said. This grant came at a great time.”

Fonderlin said since the shooting, he thinks schools have felt more pressure to make safety upgrades. He said it’s fortunate that Boardman already has these projects in motion so that most are done as students come back to start the school year. He said he thinks it will help make students and parents feel better about returning after several recent mass shootings.

escott@tribtoday.com

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