Nebo School District in Utah will invest $11 million in capital funds into school security upgrades, including five secured entrances at 11 elementary schools.
District spokesperson Lana Hiskey said the district has assembled a school safety committee to work on preventing and responding to security incidents, reports Herald Extra. So far, the committee has approved a communications system that allows the district to get ahold of all parents within 15 minutes and has put cell phone boosters in every school so that all teachers can have service in an emergency.
“If something happens, we have to be able to get communication out quickly,” Hiskey emphasized.
The district also added cameras to schools and increased lighting by 30%. More medical kits have been purchased and the district has partnered with nearby cities to bring in additional resource officers. Mental health counselors have also been added and new fire panel sensors have been installed. Additionally, a safety security architect has been hired to assess older buildings to see how security can be improved.
Top security concerns for some of the schools include noncustodial parents removing children and parents dropping off and picking up students. As a result, Hiskey said some schools are seeing redesigned traffic flows to minimize potential hazards. Security gates have also been added at schools because parents were driving onto playgrounds to drop off students.
Nebo has an estimated 40,500 students and covers more than 1,300 square miles. It is the seventh-largest school district in Utah, consisting of six high schools, six junior high schools, 27 elementary schools and two alternative schools.
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