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Bremen board details school safety upgrades, seeks DHS and COPS grants to fund door locks and cameras
Summary
At its June 10 meeting, the Bremen Public Schools board received a safety update that outlined recent security upgrades, the addition of a full‑time SRO and plans to apply for a Department of Homeland Security grant to wire classroom doors and a DOJ COPS grant to add cameras in gyms and pool areas; the board was asked to schedule an executive session to review SRO matters in depth.
The Bremen Public Schools board heard a multi-part safety update on June 10 that described upgrades to exterior doors and access controls, the addition of a school resource officer and two pending grant applications to expand door lockdown capability and add cameras in activity areas.
The presenter, who summarized two years of safety work, said the district has replaced or repaired exterior doors and installed swipe‑card readers tied to video monitoring so entry points can be managed and set to lock and unlock at scheduled times. "We installed new swipe card readers that added video monitoring," the presenter said, adding the upgrades reduce the need for teachers and coaches to prop doors open.
The board learned the district added a full‑time SRO, Wes, who completed basic SRO training before starting and returned this month for advanced certification. "Wes did a great job in his first year," the presenter said, and noted an app has been created so the SRO can document incidents and provide monthly updates to principals and the Bremen Police Commission.
To address concerns about teachers propping interior classroom doors with magnets, the presenter described a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) safety grant application that would connect classroom door magnets to the school fire‑alarm system so doors could be held open for daily use but demagnetize and lock schoolwide via an app or panic alarm in an emergency. "That is our grant proposal for this year from the Department of Homeland Security," the presenter said, adding that award decisions are not expected until around Sept. 1.
The presenter also described a COPS grant (U.S. Department of Justice) the district plans to pursue to add cameras in facility areas that currently lack coverage, specifically gyms, the swimming pool and weight room. For the pool, the presenter said the district would buy chlorine‑resistant cameras. "This time, we're focusing on the gyms," the presenter said, adding cameras will improve monitoring for after‑school events.
On reporting platforms, the board was told the district previously used an anonymous reporting app called "Stop It" paid for at the county level; that funding dropped and the district covered the cost last year. The presenter said a free anonymous reporting platform from the nonprofit Sandy Hook Promise includes classroom resources and would save some local expense.
The presenter closed by asking the board to schedule a periodic executive session to review SRO matters and other sensitive safety issues; the board acknowledged that request and agreed to set up a session at a future meeting.
The district will await DHS grant award notifications (anticipated around Sept. 1) and pursue the COPS camera grant; the board did not take a formal vote on new spending at the meeting but received staff direction to proceed with the grant applications and to return with more implementation details.
