Prairie Grove D46 Awarded Grant to Improve School Safety

November 13, 2018: Prairie Grove Consolidated School District 46 (“District”) has been selected as recipient of a Fall 2018 school safety grant designed to deter on-campus bullying and e-cigarette (vaping) usage.

The Soter Technologies, LLC grant program offers educational materials and awards up to $2 million in grants to qualified applicants.

As school bullying and vaping has reached epidemic status in virtually every middle school and high school in America, the District applied for the grant program to gain access to innovative education solutions to combat new threats to student safety and learning environments.

As a result of the grant award, the District plans to install FlySense anti-bullying and e-cigarette (vaping) detectors in select restrooms and locker rooms, where cameras and microphones are not permitted. These state-of-the-art sensors are capable of detecting vaping, smoking, and elevated sound typically associated with school violence such as bullying or fighting. When a sensor detects chemicals from vaping or smoking and/or decibel-level anomalies that suggest school violence, it sends an immediate notification to one or more school officials’ computers or mobile devices.

“Prairie Grove CSD 46 is committed to educating students so that they can make smart and informed decisions in the face of these growing threats. Part of this ongoing initiative is deterring incidents campus-wide with instructional tools that educate students, parents, and faculty on dangers associated with these behaviors,” Chief School Business Official Kevin Werner said.

Project cost for the ten (10) detectors is estimated at $5,000 (net of the school safety grant award and volume discount) plus installation. The project is expected to be completed during the 2018-2019 school year.