Project Grant 15JCOPS23GG04590SSIX

ST. FRANCIS INDIAN SCHOOL (SFIS) HAS NOT PERFORMED A FORMAL RISK ASSESSMENT; HOWEVER, ONGOING INFORMAL RISK ASSESSMENTS ARE PERFORMED BY THE SCHOOL SAFETY DIRECTOR, PRINCIPALS AND IT SERVICES. A ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS OF A COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT, PERFORMED BY AN OUTSIDE CONSULTANT, REVEALED THAT SCHOOL SAFETY WAS THE NUMBER ONE CONCERN OF KEY STAKEHOLDERS. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT BLIND SPOTS EXIST IN CRUCIAL AREAS OF CAMPUS. IN CONJUNCTION WITH THIS ANALYSIS, RISK ASSESSMENTS IDENTIFIED BLIND SPOTS OUTSIDE OF MAIN ENTRANCES AND THE GYM HAS NO SURVEILLANCE. ALSO, THERE ARE SEVERAL VIDEO SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS THAT ARE OUTDATED, ANALOG CAMERAS AND THEY ARE UNABLE TO INTEGRATE WITH ANY SECURITY SYSTEM UPGRADES. IN ADDITION, SCHOOL SAFETY PERSONNEL AND SCHOOL STAFF DO NOT HAVE DIRECT COMMUNICATION WITH EACH OTHER. VIOLENCE HAS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED STUDENTS AND STAFFS OVERALL SENSE OF PHYSICAL SAFETY AND MENTAL WELLBEING NATIONWIDE. LOCALLY, ST. FRANCIS INDIAN SCHOOL WITNESSES THIS THREAT DAILY. OVER THE COURSE OF TWO YEARS, THE ST. FRANCIS INDIAN SCHOOLS HAS EXPERIENCED AN INCREASE IN VIOLENT INCIDENTS. IN 2020-2021, ST. FRANCIS INDIAN SCHOOLS EXPERIENCED 18 RECORDED PHYSICAL ATTACKS/FIGHTS THAT WERE REPORTED TO LAW ENFORCEMENT. IN 2021-2022, THE SCHOOLS RECORDED A TOTAL OF 30 PHYSICAL ATTACKS/FIGHTS. TO ADD, SFIS RECENTLY EXPERIENCED TWO SERIOUS INCIDENTS OF ARSON. THE OVERALL GOAL OF THE SFISS SAFETY INITIATIVE IS TO ENSURE THAT STUDENTS AND STAFF ARE MET WITH A SAFE, SUPPORTIVE, AND HEALTHY LEARNING ENVIRONMENT. SFIS REQUESTS FUNDS TO ASSIST IN THE INSTALLATION OF SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS, X-RAY/METAL DETECTORS, VIDEO STORAGE SERVERS, AND A RELAY SYSTEM. THIS APPLICATION FALLS UNDER THE FOLLOWING SVPP STATUTE PURPOSE AREAS: COORDINATION WITH LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT. AND PLACEMENT AND USE OF METAL DETECTORS, LOCKS, LIGHTING, AND OTHER DETERRENT MEASURES. ACQUISITION AND INSTALLATION OF TECHNOLOGY FOR EXPEDITED NOTIFICATION OF LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT DURING AN EMERGENCY. WITH THE INSTALLATION OF NEW TECHNOLOGY, SFIS WILL ENSURE A POSITIVE SCHOOL CLIMATE IN MANY WAYS. SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS ALLOW SCHOOL PERSONNEL AND RESPONDERS TO MONITOR AND QUICKLY RESPOND TO EMERGENT THREATS. WITH THE SCHOOLS SCHOOL SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS, THIS IS IN EFFORT TO, PREVENT, RECOGNIZE, AND RESPOND TO THREATS OF VIOLENCE. FOR INSTANCE, IN THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITYS GUIDE FOR PREVENTING AND PROTECTING AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE, INCLUDES THE USE OF VIDEO SECURITY AS A TECHNOLOGY TO CONSIDER WHEN DETERRING TARGETED VIOLENCE. WITH THIS, THE SCHOOL SAFETY TEAM AND STAFF WILL BE ABLE TO MONITOR IN REAL-TIME, COMMUNICATE, VIA RELAY SYSTEM, WITH NEARBY OF DISTANCE PERSONNEL, AND QUICKLY NOTIFY LAW ENFORCEMENT IN THE EVENT OF A SERIOUS THREAT. THE USE OF METAL DETECTORS WILL ENSURE THAT STUDENTS, TEACHERS, AND STAFF HAVE AN ADDITIONAL LAYER OF PHYSICAL SAFETY AND WILL SERVE AS A DETERRENT FOR POTENTIAL UNAUTHORIZED INTRUDERS.