Boardman Local School's school board passed installing security features in all Boardman schools during their meeting on May 23.

Tim Saxton, the superintendent at Boardman Local Schools, released a video May 28 announcing every classroom will receive a phone and every door will receive barricade devices beginning June 8. All Boardman elementary schools will be upgraded and receive air conditioning by spring 2023.

The phones will help with parent and teacher communication and serve as a safety measure in case of an emergency.

With the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Saxton said safety is on everyone's minds.

“We think about safety and security all the time, but as recent events have dictated, obviously that is a topic of concern for all parents and all districts across this nation,” Saxton said.

He said the school has a great relationship with the Boardman Police Department and recently met with Police Chief Todd Werth to discuss current security procedures and changes they could make to the procedures.

The state is taking measures for student safety too.

Ohio's House Bill 123, which established the Safety and Violence Education (SAVE) Students Act, is making every local, city and vocational school create a threat assessment team no later than March 24, 2023. 

Each team member must complete the training program established by the Ohio Department of Public Safety and "develop and maintain a list of approved training programs," according to Ohio's Department of Education.

The team should provide instruction on identifying behaviors, signs and threats potentially leading to a violent act, determining the seriousness of a threat and developing plans to protect victims and addressing underlying problems.