The harrisburg school district is located in one of the most dangerous cities in the state of pennsylvania and has historically been one of the most underfunded school districts in the state of…

The harrisburg school district is located in one of the most dangerous cities in the state of pennsylvania and has historically been one of the most underfunded school districts in the state of pennsylvania. The district is comprised of a 97% minority population and consist of almost 90% of low-income families. With these demographics come a great deal of crime and violence. In fact, recent studies show that the city of harrisburg is only safer than 16% of other citiies in the united states. Per 1000 residents 353 will experience a violent crime and 781 will experience a property crime each year. These statistic have translated to escalated school violence at our schools as last year we saw 27 possession of weapon charges, 42 incidents of disorderly conduct, 94 cases of simple assault and 154 incidents of fighting. The district has since hired a new director of security with decades of police experience but needs funds to properly secure the buildings and protect our students and staff in the event of an armed intruder. In addition, by adding these saftey measures our students and staff will have an improved learning climate and will see the promotion of safe school activities. Through independent threat assessment studies the district has identified the need to supply 19 portable metal dectection devices to place at our most at need areas as well as relocate to events throughout our 12 schools. In conjunction the district has identified the need to replace 200 malfuncted door locks, with quick action dead bolt locks to secure classrooms and offices in the event of an armed intruder. The district has partnered with a grant evaluator to ensure compliance on all aspects of this solicitation and provide quarterly and annual school climate surveys and reasearch-based assessments of our program. The evaluators will work collaboratively with our partners in local law enforcement, our district administration and our community to promote a safe school environment and enhance our students, staff and community experience in our facilities.