Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Minnesota Schools Secure Entrances with State Safety Grants

  • By Yvonne Marquez
  • 10/07/19

Minnesota awarded $25 million in safety grants to 123 school buildings last fall, reported the MinnPost. The funding came out of last year’s state legislative session in response to safety concerns after the Parkland, Florida school shooting.

Since the Minnesota Department of Education received a high volume of applications (more than 1,150), the state decided to prioritize applications that focused on entrance and emergency communications upgrades. The state made final selections through a lottery system. No school got more than $500,000.

Here’s a brief look at how Minnesota schools used the grants awarded last fall:

Delano High School: The high school created a new secure entrance, added traffic barriers outside of the front door to prevent a vehicle from crashing through and renovated the administrative wing of the building. Visitors are now expected to walk into a vestibule then through a side door that leads to the front desk, where their driver’s license is screened and vetted before being able to gain access to the building.

Columbia Heights Public Schools: Construction has not started at two school sites that received funding but once renovations are complete, they will have an upgraded front entrance system like Delano schools.

Goodhue Public Schools: Almost all of the funding the district received will go toward upgrading the main school building with a secure entrance.

Chisholm Public Schools: One school located in the Iron Range will get a complete front office redesign, a new intercom system and the addition of a few security cameras.  

About the Author

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

Featured

  • How Proactive Maintenance Can Transform Athletic Facilities into Strategic Assets for College Sports

    College athletics is entering one of the most transformative periods in its history. With NIL reshaping financial models and competitive expectations, athletic departments across the country are being asked to do more than ever with increasingly constrained resources.

  • Houston-Area High School Breaks Ground on 117,000SF Multi-Use Facility

    North Shore Senior High School, part of Galena Park ISD in Houston, Texas, recently broke ground on a new multi-use facility for student extracurriculars, according to a news release. The North Shore Multi-Use Facility will include dedicated practice and training space for the school’s athletics and fine arts programs.

  • Designing Third Spaces That Do What AI Can't

    In 2026, education is evolving faster than ever. With AI reshaping everything from lesson planning to personalized instruction, schools and universities are turning their attention to what AI can’t replicate: spaces that foster collaboration, community, and creativity.

  • Academy of Classical Education Breaks Ground in Louisiana

    Charter Schools USA (CSUSA) recently announced the groundbreaking of a new public charter school in Covington, La., according to a news release. The Academy of Classical Education at Covington will enroll students in grades K–8 and is scheduled for completion in August 2026, just in time for the new school year.