As part of ongoing efforts to maximize the safety and security of Elizabeth schools, security integrators finalized the installation of external video surveillance systems at Running Creek Elementary and Elizabeth High School over the Thanksgiving holiday break, and they returned at the end of the calendar year for installations at Elizabeth Middle School and Singing Hills.

These upgrades were made possible through a $225,000 School Violence Prevention Program grant administered through the U.S. Dept. of Justice COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services) office. Each school now has several new external cameras which integrate with the $25,000 worth of internal camera upgrades made last summer to provide the greatest amount of visual security the district has ever had.

All schools also now have multiple public school safety radios to directly connect district personnel and first responders. Administrators and staff have been trained by Safety and Security Director Mike Newton, who sought and coordinated these upgrades and collaborated with various law enforcement and fire protection agencies to provide instant, direct connections via the new radios. Each school now has two of these radios, and every other department and building has one. The radios are part of the $503,000 SAFER grant the district received last summer. Upgrades to existing school-level radio networks are also on the horizon.