ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Major security upgrades are underway for the Wright City School District. The district was recently awarded a $150,000 grant from the state.
Assistant Superintendent Jeremy Way says the money is being used for three key improvements: fence installation on playgrounds, placement of bulletproof films on windows, and upgraded buzzing systems for school building entrances.
“We’re always looking for how we can improve our layers and harden our outside buildings. These are things that have come up,” he said. “Once we got this safety grant it allowed us to do more of these big ticket items that maybe in a normal year we couldn’t, or it may have taken two or three years to accomplish.”
Way said the district was grateful for the funding after it was initially not awarded during the first round of grants distributed by the state.
House Bill No. 2, which appropriated $50 million for a second round of awards to promote physical safety in local education agencies and non-public schools, provided the funding for the grant that was ultimately approved for the district.
While nationwide threats to school safety didn't play a role in the district's desire for improvements, Way said they did push up the timeline. He said the improvements are already being made and should be complete by Feb. 1st.