This investment justification seeks federal funding in the amount of $435,889.03 for a school security improvement initiative of the turner county (georgia) school district

This is 75% of the total project cost of $581,185.37. Turner county schools will invest the remaining 25% of the total project cost ($145,296.34). The goal of this project is to improve school safety by providing better security measures at the exterior entrances and interior classroom doors of all three schools in the district. Turner county is a rural county of georgia with a population of 8,840 people living in a 290 square mile area. The turner county school system has a student population of 1,153 in three schools: a high school, middle school and elementary school. All three turner county schools have access issues that pose potential threats to students and staff that school officials are seeking to address. Right now there is no control over access to any of the schools through exterior doors by keys. Keys have been issued over the years that have not been returned that could be used to gain access into school buildings and there are numerous master, grandmaster and great grandmaster keys in existence. There have been instances of past staff people using their keys to get into school buildings for various purposes. This problem will be resolved with installation of a badge access control system. Badge access does away with need for keys. The badges (cards) issued with this system have microchips that are electronically controlled and any badge can be terminated instantaneously. In addition to the lock problems, turner county schools doors need to be fitted with interior door locking mechanisms in classrooms at all schools that allow teachers inside to lock the doors when notified of some situation such as an intruder into the school. Plus, roll down shutters need to be installed on interior classroom door windows. Oversight of this project has been assigned to the assistant superintendent of turner county schools, MR. Bernard joiner. Key partnerships in the project include those represented on the turner school safety development teamthe team includes a representative cross section of school administrators and staff, public safety representatives and parents/citizens of the community.