Oregon School District receives $500K grant for safety improvements after threats

OREGON, Ill. (WTVO) — A $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s School Violence Prevention Program was awarded to Oregon’s school district in reaction to recent safety threats on Thursday.

“Having software such as this in place could realistically save lives,” said Oregon Elementary School principal Ryan Huels.

Huels said safety for the students is of utmost importance.

“It’s at the forefront of our minds. Just this past week, there was a threat to our campus, so everybody was on high alert,” said Huels.

The principal said school administrators are always looking for ways to innovate safety.

“A couple ideas we have in mind would be internal locking systems that could automatically lock doors in the event of an intruder,” said Huels. “Extra security cameras throughout campus and lighting on the exterior of our parking lots.”

District Director of Technology Shawn Gadow suggested using the money to establish an internal locking system. He said the features could be a game-changer in the event of an emergency.

“You push the button, you send it out, and it will send out a note. Some of them will send out a notification to all staff members,” said Gadow. “It could take control of your intercoms. It could take control of all of the flat panel, interactive whiteboards in the classrooms.”

The system would also notify police and allow a much faster response time.

“Unfortunately, it’s a symptom of the world we live in,” said Huel. “But we’re committed to meeting that challenge head-on and offer as safe as [an] experiences as we humanly can.”

Gadow said the district is reviewing several different security systems and will begin the process of implementing the system in the coming year.

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