In light of the heart-breaking events at Perry High School last week, the Greene County School District is updating the Ram community of their safety and security of the staff, students and buildings.

Superintendent Brett Abbotts says as students start back to school from winter break this week, staff will be on high alert and have a strong presence at the entrances and exits of the buildings, as well as standing in the thresholds of their classrooms and monitoring students in the hallways. They will be on the lookout for any suspicious activity. Abbotts notes staff does this on a regular basis, but as school starts up again, there will be increased supervision and coverage.

Additionally, Abbotts says following an assessment by the Iowa Department of Homeland Security in November of 2022 to find areas that could be reinforced and secured, the district applied for and was granted $150,000 through the Iowa School Safety and Security Grant. Abbotts points out they used $50,000 per building and with additional funds from the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy, several locations saw upgrades and improvements.

The elementary school security cameras installed in the gym, library and cafeteria; guest access systems in the front office. The middle school also got cameras installed on the south side of the school. The high school had cameras installed in the south parking lot and south egress stairwell and security cameras in the main hallway. All three buildings now have video door entry at the main entrances, badge-only access to all exterior doors, auto-communication with local law enforcement and emergency lockdown access from the main office. 

Abbotts explains that within the next two weeks, there will be reinforced door handles with interior locking mechanisms at the elementary and middle schools. Abbotts points out these handles are the best on the market and will allow teachers to lock their classroom doors from the inside to keep students safe. Additionally, each building is reviewing, revamping and practicing the processes and procedures of their Emergency Operations Plans. He appreciates the principals and building leadership teams for their tremendous efforts in this manner to keep students safe.