The Southern Door County School District was one of six schools in the state to receive a grant through the School Violence Prevention Program.  The grant of $156,853 was through the Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services with the selection being done last week.  School Superintendent Patti Vickman says the school applied for the federal COPS grant this past spring and is designed to enhance the school’s safety measures and equipment.   A community group called EPCOT, the Emergency Planning Collaborative Operations Team consisted of District Staff and representatives from the sheriff’s office, Emergency Management, B.U.G., and Southern Door Fire Departments, Emergency Responders, and Door County Medical Center.  The group helped identify some critical safety needs that could not be funded by district money or state grants.  Vickman shares some of the planned safety improvements.

Vickman added that because the Southern Door School District is not located near the sheriff’s department or a fire station the safety supplies are important in case of an evacuation or lockdown.   Hopes are to replace a 30-year-old intercom system next year with a digital set-up that will help with their safety needs.  This Saturday the school will be live-streaming a dedication that showcases new spaces the school constructed from the 2018 referendum.