School district seeks grants for security

Superintendent Tim Dittberner updated the New Prague Area School Board about safety grants the district is pursuing. At the school board’s Monday, Sept. 10, workshop, Dittberner said that on August 29 they submitted grant applications to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) for buildings in the New Prague Area School District. The MDE has a total of $25 million available to all school buildings throughout the state. The applications for each building were submitted separately.

For the high school, the district is asking for $496,000, with $60,000 for new secure glass (bullet and impact resistant) to replace the standard glass at the main entry, $36,000 for new door sensors and $400,000 to change the existing main entry so visitors would have to go through the reception area of the main office.

For three buildings - the middle school, Central Education Campus and Compass Learning Center - the district is asking for similar changes. Each need new secure glass, door sensors and 800 megahertz (MHz) radio systems to improve effective communication between the school and emergency responders in a crisis event. The total for the middle school is.....

To see more on this story pick up the September 13, 2018 print edition of The New Prague Times.