489 Virginia-area schools in 102 school divisions will share $12 million in security grant funding from the state's department of education. The grants will include monies for video monitoring systems, voice and video internal communications systems, school bus interior cameras, mass notification systems, visitor-identification systems, access control systems, two-way radios, security vestibules and other security upgrades.
Baltimore County Schools said schools will be closed for students through at least Tuesday, December 1, as a result of the ransomware cyberattack that forced schools to close last week. The threat actors behind the ransomware attack has not been reported.
As the pandemic continues to unfold, many schools have chosen to conduct classes virtually rather than in-person and school buildings have been left empty for durations longer than ever before. With less staff consistently working on school grounds, it can be easy to miss a potentially costly and time consuming emergency. Situations like a leaking pipe or a malfunctioning freezer can quickly go from a minor issue to a major problem if not dealt with as soon as possible. Without physical eyes on these situations, schools need to consider leaning more heavily on technology that can be their eyes and ears, such as environmental monitoring technologies that can allow administrators to monitor their school at all times, even when they’re not on-site.
Glasscock Independent School District, a public school district located in Garden City, Texas, with hundreds of students across two schools, has embarked on an ongoing security plan to convert to a largely wireless, keyless access-controlled environment, to streamline its security and access at its facilities.
Saint John's University campus in Collegeville, Minnesota went into a lockdown on Thursday for close to 10 hours while law enforcement searched for the suspect.
Several local Pennsylvania schools have received Safe School grants from the State's Department of Education to fund safety and security-related equipment spending.
The Kenosha Unified School District (KUSD) of Wisconsin has selected an AI-based platform focused solely on weapons detection to help improve security on its campuses. The solution will identify visible guns if present and send alerts to school administrators and security personnel within three to five seconds, helping to stop violent threats before they occur.
With the fall season underway and winter looming, states across the U.S. are opening up their grants for applications. There are a number of different programs and types of security grants that organizations can qualify for.
Cadillac, Michigan Area Public Schools (CAPS) close to a half a million dollars to enhance training and physical security measures for school safety and security.