Germantown Schools improve security measures
Germantown Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted 5-0 to reimburse Germantown Municipal School District $102,600 for security improvements made during the summer. The vote passed Monday with no discussion.
The request for the funds was the first of a few, according to city administrator Patrick Lawton. It was granted Monday at the scheduled Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting.
“With the recent rise we have seen in school active shootings, it is very imperative that the district continues to prioritize structural safety features along with security technology on GMSD campuses to keep students safe,” Superintendent Jason Manuel said.
Cameras, alarms added
The district has installed 202 cameras across the district’s five schools. GMSD’s technology department, student services and Germantown Police worked together to determine the number and placement of the cameras.
The cameras record high-definition footage inside and outside the buildings that administrators and Germantown Police Department can access from smart phones, tablets and computers.
The district also added alarms to every exterior door on each campus. If a door is propped open for more than 30 seconds, an alarm will sound and the administration will be notified.
In addition, nine cellphone boosters were placed at three schools: Farmington Elementary, Dogwood Elementary and Riverdale School. The district deemed this as a safety improvement because more than half of 911 calls across Germantown last year were made from cellphones.
The city set aside $500,000 in capital improvement projects this year for GMSD. School officials still have other security measures they want to make with the remaining funds.
The district is finalizing designs with Allen & Hoshall, local engineers and architects, to secure entry into Houston High. Changes would let visitors into a locked office where they check in before going into the school. It would also have a fence connecting the school’s two buildings and fencing that closes off a courtyard next to the cafeteria.
The district also wants to better secure doors with barriers. School operations staff will soon meet with the state fire marshal to discuss emergency door barriers being installed in the five schools across the district.
The district would like to add keyless entry card access points to exterior doors on campuses that do not already have them.
In the future, the district would like to make security improvements to the entrances at Dogwood and Houston Middle School, to make them similar to what Houston High will have.
“We do appreciate the support of the board to make sure our schools are safe,” Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzolo said after the vote Monday.