Great salt BAY school is a small, rural community school in maine that serves a diverse population of families, 48% of which are in a low-income bracket

Our aging school building is no longer able to accommodate our growing student population, and we are in need of modular classroom units. Additionally, we have a large title i and special education populations that require additional academic and other support delivered by our small staff to address learning gaps and behavior modifications. As a small rural school with a limited tax base from which to draw education funding, financial constraints make IT difficult to cover the costs of staffing, facilities maintenance, and upgrades to building, and IT security systems. This year has underscored just how unprepared and vulnerable great salt BAY school is, as the school has experienced extreme events including bomb threats, active shooter threats, personal death threats, building evacuations, and closuresevents that rarely, if ever occurred in the past. New measures are urgently needed to create a safe learning environment for students. These steps include but are not limited to expanding security measures, increasing the understanding of the magnitude of the threats currently and potential threats, and providing tools to support people to feel more secure in their spaces. With federal assistance, the school can implement these measures and create a safer and more secure environment that will reduce stress and anxiety and support a better learning environment for all students, regardless of their socioeconomic background or learning challenges.