BOARDMAN, Ohio - School districts across the valley are taking new steps to keep students and staff safe as we get closer to the start of the school year.

It's the summer of installation inside all Boardman Local School buildings.

The district is almost done adding 448 new door locks, securing every single classroom by the start of the school year.

"We really felt like especially the door locks, create safe spaces in case there is an intruder, but we really want to make sure that our kids have a safe place to go, they feel safe and our teachers feel safe," Tim Saxton said, Boardman schools superintendent.

Many districts are purchasing new equipment or adding new layers of security after receiving state grant money through the Ohio K-12 School Safety Grant Program, which was announced by Ohio Governor DeWine in early August. 

While each door isn't installed the same, teachers will be able to use them quickly.

"There was a need for that, none of the doors in the district had those," Brian Fonderlin said, director of operations.

Fonderlin says he applied for an Ohio Safety grant, which provided $20,000 to cover the cost of the new door lock systems that totaled $23,000.

Other upgrades include adding new security cameras, installing 500 phones with one per classroom, increasing entry point security, updating the district's two-way radio communication system and putting new LED lighting in parking lots.

Crews spent time this week putting new LED lighting in the parking lot near the football stadium. The district wanted to add extra lighting for people walking back to their vehicles and to help new security cameras with overseeing almost every angle of the district's school campus.

District Superintendent Tim Saxton says he's also working to add a fourth student resource officer inside the schools. Boardman was recently awarded $279,000 from the state's safety grant program to use toward paying for the updates in safety measures.
In Warren, most buildings are newer and already equipped with classroom door locks.

Warren City Schools spent $280,000 in July for 22 pairs of portable weapon detectors.

"They detect weapons from the standpoint of the size, shape and density of the items going through," Steve Chiaro said, superintendent of Warren City Schools.

PREVENTING DANGEROUS THREATS

All districts are required to have Threat Assessment Teams in place by March of 2023 for grades 6 through 12.
Austintown Local Schools is among the local districts that has its team in place, which is comprised of a police officer, a mental health rep and school officials.

It covers grades K through 12. Each person has a specific role to determine if a student needs intervention or vet possible threats.

"It's extraordinarily important, because each member of the team has a specific role that they're given," Lt. Tom Collins said, with Austintown police.

The teams do not receive any state funding, but Collins says it's all about needed communication, because timing is everything in instances of possible school threats or incidents.

"The building principal has the authority if there's believed to be a potential threat in the building they can conduct a search of the locker, so they have that ability where law enforcement, we would need probable cause," Collins explained.

UPGRADES ACROSS THE VALLEY

21 News has reported on several districts spending money to update their security plans or features ahead of the 2022-2023 school year.

Lowellville Local Schools is planning to rent two portable weapon detectors for the year. All of its security cameras will be upgraded to add more oversight covering the entire district campus. The new cameras and updates will cost about $44,000.

Poland Local Schools says its enhancing door lock systems and hosting monthly school security summits.

Struthers says it is updating communication abilities inside and outside such as phones and PA systems. Liberty Township plans to institute crisis prevention training for teachers to learn de-escalation techniques.