BGPS receive state grant to improve safety & security

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Battle Ground Public Schools (BGPS) received almost $80,000 from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to improve student safety across the district. The grant is part of Senate Bill 5197, passed in 2013, with the intent to encourage school districts to develop new emergency response systems using “evolving technology.”

BGPS will use the money to decrease emergency response times and improve incident communication through a mix of traditional technology and mobile technology tools present in each classroom. All schools in the district will implement the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) Rapid Response Alert System Module. This module allows alerts to be sent system wide with a simple click of a button.

“This grant was a cooperative effort between local law enforcement, CRESA (Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency) and district officials,” said Scott McDaniel, BGPS director of technology and security. “This was a considerable amount of work and I feel this is one piece of a larger security effort that will give our schools critical tools needed to remain safe.”



OSPI coordinated with the school safety advisory committee to develop the grant criteria and BGPS joins 80 other school districts across the state as award winners.

In a recent press release, State Superintendent Randy Dorn commented on the grant saying, “Student safety is a top priority and we’ve all seen school tragedies play out across the country. While these projects won’t eliminate safety risks at our schools, they will help us be better prepared. Many of the emergency response systems funded by these grants are first-of-their-kind.”

BGPS has already begun implementation, identifying staff for training, working with local law enforcement, and working with facilities for implementation in the buildings over the summer. Additional information on these advancements will be made available once the systems are fully operational.