Rockingham County Schools issued the following announcement on Nov. 1.
Rockingham County Schools is pleased to announce that the district is the recipient of two school safety grants from the North Carolina Center for Safety Schools at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction totaling nearly $1.2 million. RCS is receiving a $599,900 grant for new School Resource Officers (SROs), and will also receive $587,978 for school safety equipment.
The SRO grant will allow Rockingham County Schools to deploy a School Resource Officer at each of its 13 elementary schools. The district currently has three elementary school SROs covering zones across Rockingham County in addition to the SROs at each high school and middle school.
The school safety equipment grant will allow for more school security, cameras, reunification kits, school radios, and WiFi hotspots for reunification sites.
Rockingham County Schools will be meeting and collaborating with local law enforcement in the coming months to detail this agreement. RCS is excited for our school district and for our students to receive these safety upgrades.
“In Rockingham County Schools, we keep safety as a top priority. We are so thankful to the NC Center for Safe Schools and also to the NC legislators that made this grant possible for our school district to receive,” said Dr. Stephanie Ellis, Executive Director of Behavioral Health, Crisis Intervention, and Student Safety for Rockingham County Schools.
“I appreciate Karen Fairley and the NC Center for Safe Schools Team and our NC Legislation for making safety a focus and their support and collaboration is a wonderful resource for our district. We are also grateful for our law enforcement partners in Rockingham County and we look forward to having a School Resource Officer in every elementary school. We have a SRO in every middle and high school, and now this grant is making it possible for our SROs to be in every elementary school. This is a wonderful resource and support for the students and staff of Rockingham County. We will continue to seek opportunities that benefit our students and keep our school safety efforts at the forefront.”
Original source can be found here.
