Ohio District Receives $40k Grant for School Security Equipment
Amherst Exempted Village Schools recently received $40,000 in safety and security grant funds from the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation.
- By Jessica Davis
- May 24, 2019
Amherst Exempted Village Schools recently received $40,000 in safety and security grant funds from the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. The district plans to use the funds to purchase equipment to increase campus security.
Amherst Exempted Village Schools will also contribute $47,000. Building and grounds supervisor Chuck Grimmett, who applied for the grant, said the district will spend the full $87,000 on security and safety equipment.
According to Grimmett, the district plans to buy ballistic film for windows, a completely new camera system and six automatic floor cleaning machines in an effort to “alleviate workers’ injuries and safety within our schools.”
The ballistic film will be installed on the front entrance glass and windows of Marion L. Steele High School. The ballistic film, which is placed on the inside of the glass, absorbs the impact of a rifle bullet. The idea is that the film can give staff and students a few extra moments to react in an emergency.
"If we ever have an incident where we have a problem, there'll be an extra couple minutes that people can get to safety," Grimmett said.
A new camera system will bring Steele High more up to date with security technology, Grimmett said.
"Our cameras are aged and they don't support the new technology," Grimmett said. "It's very grainy. [If] something happens in the school, it takes a half hour, 45 minutes for someone to really figure out which camera [is being used]."
The Creative Learning Center can also be integrated into the new system, Grimmett said. The new technology will allow the principal to monitor the cameras with their mobile phone.
The district will also purchase six new steerable and lithium-ion battery-powered floor cleaning machines that will be used by custodial workers district-wide, Grimmett said. Custodians currently have to carry around heavy machines filled with water, but the new machines will help prevent back injuries and help keep the buildings clean and sanitized.
Three of the machines will be used at the new Powers Elementary School, and the other three will be dispersed among the other campuses.
"We still have to buy those machines for the new school anyways, so I think it's just going to be a great deal all the way around," Grimmett said.
About the Author
Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.