Grants help Claymont district to emphasize safety and security in the new school year

Brian Rentsch
·2 min read

The 2023-2024 school year has begun, and the students are eager to return to school for another year. Claymont City Schools has always emphasized staff and student safety and when visitors come to our buildings, they will see some various changes.

Our school buildings are a safe place, but there have been a number of security concerns over recent years. In order to protect employees and students, Claymont City needed to invest in safety improvements.

Through the use of various safety grants and ESSER funds the district remodeled the offices of several buildings, installed new cameras and speaker systems in the buildings as well as a new walkie talkie system. Security cameras were upgraded to deter crime by making criminals think twice about targeting the school. They can also be used to identify and track down criminals who do strike. The speaker system is used for bell systems, required drills throughout the year and notification in a potential safety situation. The handheld walkie talkies are used daily to better communicate within the buildings and the entire district.

Brian Rentsch
Brian Rentsch

In addition, Claymont City installed a visitor management system. Purchased through the Stronger Connections Grant, it can help to track who enters and exits the building, and it can also be used to collect information about visitors, such as their name, company and reason for visiting. This information can be helpful in case of an emergency or security breach.

Here are some specific benefits of remodeling the offices, upgrading cameras and a visitor management system in an office:

  • Limit visitor access: The reconfiguration of the offices limits access visitors once had to our buildings by only to a foyer area.

  • Deterrent effect: Security cameras and a visitor management system can help to deter crime by making criminals think twice about targeting a school building.

  • Increased visibility: Security cameras can help to increase visibility in a building, making it more difficult for criminals to commit crimes without being seen.

  • Enhanced security: Security cameras and a visitor management system can help to enhance security by providing the district with a way to monitor the premises and track visitors.

Other safety improvements include:

  • Improving access control

  • Installing motion detectors

  • Conducting regular security assessments

  • Training employees on safety procedures

By making these safety improvements, the district is able to create a safer environment for our employees and students.

The district is grateful for the State Safety grant and Stronger Connection grants in order to make the safety improvements throughout the district. As visitors come to our buildings, they will see the increased safety and security protocols and procedures.

Brian Rentsch is superintendent of Claymont City Schools.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Claymont emphasizes safety, security as new school year is underway