Following the epidemic and occurrences in schools nationwide and in Iowa, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced $100 million in school safety funding in June 2022 to support Iowa’s 327 public school districts and 183 non-public and independent institutions. This allocated $75 million to the School Safety Improvement Fund for security upgrades, up to $50,000 per school.
A “school safety vulnerability assessment,” funded by the school safety initiative, was a significant component of the program.
The program announcement stated that Tetra Tech conducted 1,260 building assessments to uncover security vulnerabilities that could be “exploited in an active assailant/armed intruder scenario.”
The funds could improve access control, electronic security and communications systems, barriers, perimeter security, illumination, and building envelope. Security measures may include locks, intrusion detection systems, cameras, call buttons, and more.
Even with funding, only $1 million had been disbursed to 20 school districts by early this year. Though those numbers have certainly climbed in the two years after the program was introduced, progress has been minimal.
President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act three years ago to help states recover from the COVID-19 outbreak. Iowa received its share. It funds the initiative because the pandemic raised school safety concerns. Even after Covid diminishes, this rise continues.
As school threats have increased, the Governor’s School Safety Bureau (GSSB) has made 11 arrests since the start of the school year, often for felonies and terrorism. More than half of threats have been reported through Reynolds’ 2023 Safe and Sound Iowa app.
The initiative is an anonymous threat-reporting mechanism for all public and approved non-public schools in the state to avoid violent acts and threats on social media, the GSSB’s top worry. The GSSB expects Iowa schools to exceed 300 threats in 2023–2024, making the School Safety Improvement Fund crucial.
Central’s School Board and administrator Nick Trenkamp recognized that. The 18-month funding process began with a vulnerability assessment request by Central, which was completed on Dec. 21, 2022, according to school board minutes. Iowa Code 22.7(50) makes results confidential.
After evaluation results, the board and a subcommittee, including Trenkamp, business manager Allison Walch, principle Aaron Reinhart, and maintenance director Eric Bond, prioritized an upgraded door access system and security cameras, which the school lacked.
Trenkamp said these regions were the “priority” of grant funds, but he stressed that there were no pressing concerns that encouraged participation in the study and program.
He continued, “We are always looking to improve the safety of our school environment and facilities.
The assessment was followed by applying for the grant, which gave Central $100,000, and hiring a security firm. In April 2023 and January 2024, the superintendent reported discussions with four security firms. In February 2024, the board overwhelmingly approved Hawkeye Communication’s bid.
The state approved the project two months later, but it began in early June after school ended. About 45 security cameras that can do appearance, similarity, face, line, and loitering searches and 13 external door access points were installed by mid-August. Trunkamp said SAVE (sales tax) monies covered the $140,000 project’s unfunded cost.
The cash allowed Central to install cameras outside and inside the building, but not in classrooms. Emergency panic buttons connect personnel to law enforcement swiftly.
Trenkamp added that the security system now monitors all outside doors, “allowing us to get an alarm every time a door is propped open, plus we can see who is entering and leaving our buildings.”
Staff can now access the building via phone app. Learning new technology and implementing a change have had kinks, but Trenkamp said the update “hasn’t really changed anything” about the school day. He stated it largely affected staff access, which was fixed.
While the school board deferred to Trenkamp, he gave several examples of how the new security system benefits Central. Upgrades will let staff know who enters the building and when, give law police and emergency personnel fast access, and allow incident reviews to guarantee accuracy.
Trenkamp added, “If we need to find someone, we can punch in a description and the video will pull every time someone of that description is caught on one of the cameras.” Being warned of open or propped-open doors has helped us protect the building.”
This initiative is simply one example of security and safety improvements. GEOCOMM, a School Safety Initiative partner, is creating Critical Incident Mapping (CIM) with Central, Trenkamp said.
School crises are planned and responded to using CIM. It provides accurate inside maps of schools and surrounding grounds and vital information to streamline and reduce emergency response times in Iowa schools.
Trenkamp added that Central’s emergency team is upgrading its plan and drills.