Michigan District Plans to Use $400k Grant for Mass Communication Tools

Michigan District Plans to Use $400k Grant for Mass Communication Tools

Kalamazoo Public Schools plans to use a $442,773 grant from the Michigan State Police Office of School Safety to purchase new tools for mass communication.

  • By Jessica Davis
  • April 05, 2019

Kalamazoo Public Schools recently received $442,773 as part of the Michigan State Police Office of School Safety’s Competitive School Safety Grant Program. The district plans to use the funds to purchase new mass communication equipment.

The grant funds will go toward the purchase of new equipment for campus-wise communication and radios to allow the district to communicate directly with law enforcement and emergency responders, the district said.

Kalamazoo Public Schools will add exterior speakers at entrances, playgrounds and bus areas at its middle and elementary schools. The current speaker system is only set up inside of school buildings, the district said.

The MSP grant will also pay for the installation of a new public address system inside and campus-wide exterior paging systems at Kalamazoo Central and Loy Norrix high schools. These systems will be designed to cover the entirety of the larger high school campuses.

According to Don Webster, chief of campus safety at KPS, communication is the most important factor in any safety situation. Webster said the grant-funded upgrades will allow district safety officials to communicate district-wide if there is a lockdown or evacuation situation.

“Having good communication allows us to keep students safe,” Webster said. “The district has always put safety and security of our students and staff at the forefront."

According to the district, the grant-funded projects must be finished by June 1, 2020.

About the Author

Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.

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