MEDWAY — Superintendent Armand Pires is pleased to announce that the Medway Public Schools was recently awarded a grant to be used to enhance a variety of school safety and security measures.
The grant is in the amount of $374,945. It was awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) through the 2021 COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program.
“Ensuring our students and staff have a safe and secure environment in which they can learn and work is always one of our top priorities,” Superintendent Pires said. “These safety and security improvements are important investments, and we are always grateful for funding resources that allow us to enhance the structural and technological measures we have in place.”
Among the enhancements that will be funded through the grant are:
Improved Video Surveillance Equipment
Medway Middle School was originally equipped with cameras in 2010 and a monitoring system. Software upgrades were additionally made in 2016 and 2019. The school’s current camera equipment is no longer compatible with the latest software platform, requiring the district to split the servers into two platforms which causes some difficulty for first responders to quickly access the cameras in an emergency. The funding will be used to replace 118 internal and external cameras that will all be compatible with the latest software and able to be integrated into the school’s centralized surveillance system.
Additional video surveillance equipment will be installed to help cover gaps in coverage at the high school, Burke-Memorial Elementary and McGovern Elementary. Cameras will be added to the high school’s parking area; the Burke wing, cafeteria and playground at Burke-Memorial; and rear entrance, some hallway areas and the playground at McGovern.
Improved Entrance Penetration Systems
The district currently has a centralized door control system, which manages building access and security via key card access, identity notification, entrance barriers and lock down controls. With use of the grant funds, the district will replace the current Medway High School door control system for the six exterior and three interior doors, and incorporate it into the central system. This upgrade will provide one platform to identify access and lock down the site when needed.
The district has also identified 10 additional doors between McGovern, Burke-Memorial and the middle school that would benefit from adding key card access for staff and would help secure the buildings.
Emergency Notification System
The district currently uses IN FORCE911, a multi-level communication system that includes text and alert communications to enable quick response time and information sharing with first responders during an emergency event. The grant will fund the continued use of this system.
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