Michigan District Prioritizes Security with $225,900 in Planned Upgrades

Michigan District Prioritizes Security with $225,900 in Planned Upgrades

The Marquette Area Public Schools Board of Education awarded a bid of $225,900 to a construction company on Monday for security upgrades in the district.

  • By Jessica Davis
  • May 22, 2019

The Marquette Area Public Schools Board of Education awarded a bid of $225,900 to a construction company on Monday for security upgrades in the district.

School security is a top priority for the district, MAPS Superintendent Bill Saunders said; however, the district still wants to balance safety with a welcoming environment.

“We want to have warm welcoming buildings,” Saunders said. “We want to encourage interaction with the community. At the same time, we’re also focused on adding layers of security to best protect our students.”

One of the planned upgrades includes a secure vestibule for the office area at Marquette Alternative High School. The full glass front won’t be changed, but there will be another set of doors added inside the main vestibule, Saunders said.

“It would be much more secure. It directs traffic through the main office,” he said.

The security upgrade bid also includes Avigilon hardware for two elementary schools, a middle school and a high school campus. The system will let the district add an element of access control.

“This is expensive technology, but it starts us on a track that we have complete door-access control for our visitors,” Saunders said. Office staff will be able to use a button to lock any door, and the doors can be programmed to open or close at any time.

Saunders said the district aims to have that security system in place on every door in the district.

In addition to the physical security, Saunders said they also want to focus on safety measures that aren’t tangible.

“We also need to focus on the mental well-being of our students,” Saunders said, “and that doesn’t happen through hardware and those type of things.”

There is not yet a timeline for when construction on the upgrades will begin.

About the Author

Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.

Featured

  • Eagle Eye Networks Launches AI Camera Gun Detection

    Eagle Eye Networks, a provider of cloud video surveillance, recently introduced Eagle Eye Gun Detection, a new layer of protection for schools and businesses that works with existing security cameras and infrastructure. Eagle Eye Networks is the first to build gun detection into its platform. Read Now

  • Beyond Containment: Redefining Cybersecurity and the Digital Campus at Washington College

    In the aftermath of a ransomware attack, Washington College stood at a crossroads — its legacy defined by centuries of academic excellence, but its digital infrastructure revealing the fragile underbelly of modern campus operations. Read Now

  • California School District Protects Campuses With Cloud-Managed Access Control

    Established in 1901 in the heart of Silicon Valley, the Mountain View Los Altos High School District (MVLA) serves 4,400 students across the cities of Mountain View, Los Altos, and Los Altos Hills. It houses two award-winning high school campuses commonly ranked in the top 1 percent nationally; it also hosts a continuation high school, an adult education campus, an alternative academy for arts and technology, and a nontraditional high school program held at an innovation center. Read Now

  • Right-Wing Activist Charlie Kirk Dies After Utah Valley University Shooting

    Charlie Kirk, a popular conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, died Wednesday after being shot during an on-campus event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Read Now

Most   Popular