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District wins $476,250 federal grant for school safety; board approves campus infrastructure projects
Summary
McDowell County Schools announced a $476,250 U.S. Department of Justice School Violence Prevention Program award to pay for hardware and safety upgrades; the board also approved two capital project allocations—$250,000 for HVAC work and $250,000 for concrete repairs including ramps and sidewalks.
McDowell County Schools will receive $476,250 through the U.S. Department of Justice’s School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP), the district announced at its Oct. 13 meeting. District staff said the SVPP award will fund hardware and other safety-related upgrades across all district facilities.
Facilities director Chad Marsh and district technology and safety staff described specific planned uses including continued purchase and installation of security cameras, addressing communication “dead spots,” and purchasing radios where needed. Board members also reported completion of districtwide Knox-box installations (master-keyed boxes for first responders) and a consolidated district lockdown plan to ensure consistent emergency procedures between principals and school resource officers.
Separately, the board approved two capital project requests during the meeting: a $250,000 allocation for districtwide HVAC repairs (a second-phase request from earlier work) and a $250,000 allocation for concrete remediation and improvements—sidewalks, ramps and related accessibility work. Both motions passed by voice vote.
Marsh told the board that recent maintenance work has closed the majority of outstanding HVAC work orders and that funds previously approved for capital have been allocated or spent. He described the SVPP grant as the product of internal collaboration and said the district will follow the grant’s specific procurement and allowable-use criteria.
Board members noted the grants and capital investments complement ongoing safety work and facility maintenance across the district, including fleet updates (nine new school buses and one activity bus received this year) and an active schedule of athletic and school events.
