Huber Heights schools seeking grant for safety upgrades

ajc.com

Huber Heights City Schools is seeking grant funding to supplement the cost of upgrading safety features throughout the district’s eight buildings.

The district recently submitted a grant application to the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission as part of what administration officials deem an ongoing process of ensuring the schools are implementing the most effective, up-to-date security practices.

In partnership with the Ohio School Safety Center, the OFCC has developed a $53 million grant program that allows district applicants to request up to $100,000 per school building to cover expenses associated with physical security enhancements, such as security cameras, public address systems, automatic door locks, visitor badging systems, and exterior lighting.

“Our number one priority and goal is to make sure staff and students are safe while they’re on our watch; that’s the bottom line,” said Gary Doll, director of business operations for Huber schools. “Security and safety measures are constantly changing and improving everyday, so our job is to make sure that we’re staying up-to-date with the new technology that’s out there.”

Specific safety improvements funded by this grant will vary based on the amount of money granted for each school building, however, administration has outlined its top three goals, Doll said.

One priority is to implement a visitor management system in each building, which would allow for staff to screen all visitors. By scanning an ID, or manually inputting identification information, each visitor will be screened against the sex offender registry, along with any other locally-customized databases. Visitor management systems can also be used to store accurate and up-to-date information to ensure students are released only to approved guardians.

The district also plans to place additional cameras throughout the each building. “We already have cameras throughout the district, but we feel that there are some dead zones that could be improved by adding some additional,” Doll said.

The installation of window security film in more areas of the buildings is another goal, he said. Also known as Solar Tint, this security film works by preventing window and door glass from shattering, which has the potential to allow easy access by intruders. Again, this is a feature already implemented in several areas throughout the district.

“We have this on windows in strategic locations, but we want to finish the exterior, lower levels, as well as install the tint on interior windows and doors to add that additional layer of security,” Doll said.

Current safety features already implemented throughout each building also include secondary locking systems known as “Night Locks,” along with school resource officers and security guards, with plans to recruit additional. The district’s collaboration with the police department is crucial to overall safety, as well, Doll said.

“Huber Heights schools has an excellent, outstanding relationship with the Huber Heights Police Division and Fire Division,” he said, adding that both departments assist the district with staff training, as well as lockdown and active shooter drills.

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