The Marshwood School District has been awarded $499,999 from the federal government through a program aimed at improving school safety.
The district was one of four in the state and 206 nationwide to get the grant in October from the U.S. Department of Justice through its Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office School Violence Prevention Program. The DOJ received over 1,000 applications.
Awards were given based on a number of criteria including safety and assessment efforts, sustainability, capacity to make improvements, financial need, demonstrated need for improved security, and strength of the district’s application, according to the COPS office.
District Financial Manager Ryan Cormier said the Marshwood proposal calls for more cameras and updating the existing camera infrastructure; updates to door access controls; sensors to detect if a door has been propped open; and security window film that prevents glass on entry doors from shattering in the event of an attempted forced entry.
The district is required to finish the improvements across all five schools within three years.
