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

  • Phoenix School District Breaks Ground on New Prep Academy

    The Creighton Elementary School District near Phoenix, Ariz., recently broke ground on a campus replacement for Biltmore Preparatory Academy, according to a news release. The new space will allow the school to expand its enrollment by 50 percent for K–8 students and accommodate modern, collaborative learning styles.

  • Haws Corporation Marks 120th Anniversary

    Haws Corporation, which provides hydration and emergency safety solutions worldwide, recently announced that the company is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year, according to a news release.

  • USC Launches Major AI Initiative After $200M Gift

    The University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Calif., recently announced that it has launched a “transformational” new AI initiative thanks to a $200M gift, according to a news release. The project will leverage AI toward breakthroughs and innovations in subjects like the health sciences, business, security, and the arts.

  • Rethinking K-12 Schools as a Continuous Learning Experience

    Most students move through three or more separate facilities during their K-12 journey, yet the built environments they encounter at each stage have traditionally been designed in isolation, with little continuity in spatial language, learning philosophy, or physical resources. Each new school is a reset with different layouts, learning models, expectations, and ways of moving through a building. The next generation of school design is making the case that the first day of kindergarten and the last day of high school can and should feel connected through common support systems and infrastructure in the physical environment.