Lehigh career and technical institute is applying for cops svpp grant funds to improve security on our campuses

Our institute is very focused on encouraging a safe environment for our students and faculty. Unfortunately, our organization has been the focus of several threats, false alarms, and/or pranks involving the risk of a bomb or an active shooter. An incident occurred as recently as april 2023, which was an active shooter threat called in. Each of these incidents has caused tremendous anxiety for our students and faculty. Additional lighting is an essential element in school security. Ensuring that all areas, including entrances, exits, parking lots, and walkways, are adequately LIT to deter potential intruders. Adequate lighting also makes IT easier for students and staff to move around and identify potential dangers. Lighting can also be used to create a more welcoming environment and make the school more inviting to students, parents, and visitors. Additionally, well-LIT areas are less likely to be vandalized, and IT can also help identify suspicious activity and deter criminal behavior. Mass notifications systems are also an essential part of school security. In the event of an emergency or threat, a mass notification system can instantly notify students, staff, and parents of the situation, providing critical information and instructions. A mass notification system can also be used for non-emergency communications, such as school closures, schedule changes, and other announcements. With a mass notification system, school administrators can reach large numbers of people quickly and efficiently, and ensure that everyone is aware of what is happening. Security cameras are an important tool for enhancing school security. Cameras can be placed at entrances and exits, in hallways, stairwells, and other areas to monitor activity and detect potential threats. Cameras can also be used to monitor parking lots and school buses, providing an added layer of security for students and staff. The footage from security cameras can be reviewed in real-time or after an incident to identify perpetrators, provide evidence, and improve security measures. Our school system is primarily funded by the taxpayers of a consortium of local school districts each year, with a small portion funded by the state. We start our year at a $0 budget and await our budget approval from this consortium. Unlike a school district, we cannot tax the local population because we are a part of the 9 school districts that send students to our campus. We experience great difficulty requesting additional funds from these schools as they have their own budget constraints to handle annually with a finite tax basis. As such, we would need a unanimous vote from all 81 board members to pass any allocation for our school beyond the agreed-upon amount. As a school system we are constrained in every direction with concerns to our budget and the ability to implement large projects to improve our facilities. We are requesting federal assistance from the cops school violence prevention program office to be able to afford these projects to make our school safer for our students, staff and community members.