Schools
Mansfield Receives State Funds for School Security
The state grant will reimburse the town for nearly $134,000 already allocated to strengthen school security.
The state has given Mansfield $133,828 in grant money to support school security projects, according to a press release from the office of Gov. Dannel Malloy.
Superintendent Frederick Baruzzi explained that the funds will reimburse the local tax dollars already allocated to strengthening Mansfield's school security system. The town council pulled close to $183,000 from the capital budget earlier in the year for security upgrades, Baruzzi said.
The Board of Education-approved improvements include:
- Numbering all exterior doors for ease of identification by first responders
- Replacing telephone systems at all four schools
- The installation of additional door locks, as well as blinds and shades for lockdown use
- Provide staff training
- Increase the size of exterior camera monitors in the school office
- Review current school and town support services to more readily identify students and families in need
He added that the town will apply for further grants from the state if additional upgrades are needed at the schools.
According to the governor's press release, $5 million in funding was awarded to 36 school districts as part of the Gun Violence Prevention and Children’s Safety Act.
More security grants will be awarded in the future, the release said.
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