Security Measures Added to Colorado Schools Through DHS Grant

Weld RE-5J School District in Johnstown, Colorado received a grant totaling nearly $350,000 from the Department of Homeland Security to overhaul its security system at two schools.

Roosevelt High School and Milliken Middle School’s security system were upgraded: additional cameras, access control locks and school bus access technology were implemented on the campuses.

Student ID cards serve as access keys to get on the bus and to access certain parts of the building at a given time. The external doors of the building are locked at all times and are only accessible to some staff.

Old cameras were replaced and about 80 more new ones were installed.

The cameras are linked to the Johnstown Police Department and allows the officers to monitor the video remotely.

“We can access the video from our phones, from the computers in our cars,” Sgt. Kyle Williams of the Johnstown Police Department told a local news station. “If we do have to come in for some type of emergency, we can have an idea of what we are coming in on.”

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Planning with Clarity: Using AI to Make Better Campus Decisions, Not Just Better Designs

    Higher education leaders are being asked to make increasingly high-stakes decisions about campus facilities amid greater uncertainty than ever before. Social and economic pressures, shifting enrollment, and evolving learning models compete with growing deferred maintenance needs to strain even the most robust infrastructure budgets.

  • Virginia Tech Tops Out New College of Engineering Building

    Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., recently celebrated the topping out of Mitchell Hall, which will soon stand as the largest College of Engineering building on campus, according to a news release. The university partnered with Skanska on the 285,500-square-foot facility, which has an expected completion date of winter 2028.

  • Dallas-Area District Debuts Three New Facilities

    The Duncanville Independent School District in southwest Dallas, Texas, recently held ribbon-cutting ceremonies for three new facilities that resulted from a $170-million bond program passed in 2023, according to a news release.

  • Secret to Efficient, On-Time School Infrastructure & Modernization Projects is All in the Preparation

    Warmer weather and longer days make summer the ideal time for construction and modernization projects at educational facilities. School boards and construction firms must coordinate effectively to ensure that these projects do not extend even a single day into the school year and impede classroom operation.