Oct. 17, 2011—Schalmont is beefing up its safety, security and training efforts, thanks to a $47, 800 Community Oriented Policing Service (COPS) grant the district has received in partnership with the Rotterdam Police Department.

The funds come at a time when the state has made significant decreases in education funding and is providing increasingly less support for school districts and municipalities.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to partner with local law enforcement on this new initiative to create a safer and more secure campus for our middle school and high school students,” said Superintendent Dr. Valerie Kelsey.

The district has enjoyed a successful partnership with the department for more than a decade through the School Resource Officer (SRO) program, in which a police officer is stationed inside the high school building.

SRO Richard Kranick will play an integral role in implementing the new security measures, which include the addition of more video cameras to monitor hallways, school grounds and building access points from a central location inside the district or via a remote location.

“After several construction and renovation projects were completed, we recognized the need for additional cameras to expand coverage to all areas of the school,” said Kranick.

To better monitor all individuals entering the school building, an electronic access control system will also be installed to create a single point of entry for visitors and late arrivals via the high school main entrance.

In addition, the grant will provide for a series of trainings to help faculty and staff recognize symptoms of drug use, alcohol abuse and children in crisis. It will also equip staff with the tools necessary to prevent crisis situations and address incidents already in progress.

“By training staff in these areas, it will reinforce how important it is to be aware of issues that can lead to crisis,” said Kranick. “Our goal is to help staff recognize potential problems and be trained to handle them before they escalate.”

Each of the new security measures were identified based on feedback from a school climate survey conducted last year. The district’s SAVE Committee—a team of teachers, parents and staff that meets regularly to evaluate school safety, identify areas of concern and make recommendations to resolve safety and security issues—has also been instrumental in the process.

“Safety for our students and staff has always been a top priority,” said Kelsey. “This grant affords us the opportunity to continue our efforts without further burdening our taxpayers.”

The grant proposal was written in cooperation with the Capital Region BOCES Grants & Development Service.

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