MOUNT VERNON — Five Knox County school districts received over $900,000 in safety and security grants from the state’s latest round in school funding.
The funding comes from Ohio’s K-12 School Safety Grant Program, with Gov. Mike DeWine making the announcement at Lakewood High School in Cuyahoga County. More than 900 schools received funding.
Here is the breakdown for all Knox County school districts:
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Centerburg Local Schools
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Centerburg Elementary School $100,000
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Centerburg High School $100,000
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Centerburg Middle School $100,000
Danville Local Schools
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Danville High School $76,468
Fredericktown Local Schools
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Fredericktown Elementary School $50,000
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Fredericktown High School $50,000
Knox County JVSD
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Knox County Career Center $50,000
Mount Vernon City Schools
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Columbia Elementary School $50,000
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Dan Emmett Elementary School $50,000
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East Elementary School $50,000
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Mount Vernon High School $50,000
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Mount Vernon Middle School $50,000
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Pleasant Street Elementary School $50,000
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Twin Oak Elementary School $50,000
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Wiggin Street Elementary School $50,000
How the money will be used
Centerburg Supt. Ryan Gallwitz said the money will be used to upgrade cameras throughout the school and on buses.
Some of the funds will be used for training purposes when there’s a school lockdown or an active shooter for example.
Similar improvements will be made at Fredericktown with the district looking at replacing 12-year-old access control system and then will replace the exterior video surveillance system, Supt. Gary Chapman said, and enhancing exterior lighting as well for school safety.
Danville Local Schools will also upgrade cameras and the security system in the high school, Supt. Jason Snively said.
Knox County Career Center Supt. Kathrine Greenich was thrilled to receive safety grant, she said, and the money will be used to purchase radios for the center’s three buses used for field trips and travel for class projects.
There’ll also be “panic” alert buttons placed throughout the building to have instant communication with faculty and law enforcement if an emergency occurred. Teachers may have the alert button on a lanyard too, Greenich said.
“(I’m) hoping to have it all in place by the next school year in August,” Greenich said, adding the grant will enhance the school’s safety plans.
Mount Vernon Supt. Bill Seder said all eight buildings in the district are in “dire need of new updated PA systems used to communicate both voice and video for daily use and in the event of an emergency” and the funds will be used to improve those systems.
Mount Vernon’s Rick Shaffer Director of Maintenance/Safety is in the process of reviewing several systems to determine specific bidding criteria for the projects, Seder said.
