Carroll County Schools describe upgrades from state grants, active shield system and new SRO partnerships
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Summary
District staff said a governor's grant of $1.1 million has funded strategic safety upgrades and SRO support, a one‑time $500,000+ award is funding access control and fencing, a $190,000 Bay Springs shield system is online, and the district has new SRO partnerships with Temple and the sheriff's department.
Facilities and safety staff briefed the board on district security work funded largely by state grants. Staff reported a governor's grant of $1,100,000 is being used to upgrade crisis‑alert systems, strategic hardware and to support school resource officers across the district. An additional one‑time grant of just over $500,000 has been used to add access control, cameras and fencing; staff said the state approved the projects and work is now underway and expected to be completed by the grant closeout in June.
A separate award of $190,000 funded a shield system installed at Bay Springs; staff said that shield system has been tested and was active during the first semester. The presenter named Tim Gribben and Russell Grisser (safety staff) as working on grant efforts.
Staff also described a new partnership with the City of Temple that places an SRO at Temple High School and Temple Elementary, and said the district coordinated with the county sheriff’s department to place an SRO at Bowden Elementary. Board members asked which schools lack SROs and staff listed four elementary schools without an assigned SRO: Ithaca Elementary, Sand Hill, Mount Zion Elementary and Providence. All middle schools were described as having one SRO, with officers rotating as needed.
Board members and staff noted ongoing GEMA audits (safety inventories) beginning in January and emphasized the district’s continued search for grant opportunities to support safety work.