WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (WS/FCS) received $500,000 to make security improvements to its district schools .
During a school board meeting Tuesday night, the grant funds were awarded.
The Center for Safer Schools grant was approved unanimously.
School board member Richard Watts said some of these upgrades were long overdue.
"Refurbishing and updating identi-kit that's been long overdue," Watts said. thank you."
Watts is talking about the district's visitor management system.
Chief Safety Officer Johnathan Wilson said the grant funds will go to making the system more efficient.
"When someone comes into a school as a visitor they sign in it lets us know who's in the building but checks the sex offender registry to make sure a sex offender doesn't gain access to a school," Wilson said.
The school district initially wanted $3 million for 11 projects but was awarded half a million.
They'll also spend some of the money on fencing around elementary schools. Wilson said this will address the trespassing they've experienced on school grounds.
High schools will get vestibules to better divert visitors to the front office so they're not roaming around schools.
They'll also add and replace radios at most of the district's 81 schools.
Wilson said they hope to find other funding to get radios added to their school buses in the future.
"Defending and protecting schools and students is a daunting task, so we look for ways to improve our systems at all times. Not only do things wear out but technology changes, so it's important for us to stay on top of it," the chief safety officer said.
The district said they must spend the money by the end of the school year in June.
It was said that they'll start putting out bids to get the projects started immediately.
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