Lunenburg Gets Another Round of Grand Awards for Security UpgradesOther area schools also receive awards in this round

By Brian Nowlin, Staff Writer
Several area schools recently received word that they would be getting security grants as the Commonwealth has awarded $6 million in School Security Equipment Grants that is set up to continue in helping with ensuring the safety of schools.
The grants will apply to 519 schools and other educational facilities in 100 school divisions. The $6 million will go toward paying for video monitoring systems, metal detectors, classroom locks, electronic-access controls, visitor-identification systems and other security upgrades.
This program began in 2013 following the school shooting incident that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut.
A release from Governor Terry McAuliffe stated, “The awards, developed by the Virginia Department of Education and the Department of Criminal Justice Services, give priority to schools that are most in need of modern security equipment but are least able to afford these much-needed upgrades.”
Lunenburg County Public School will receive $7,444 to be used at Central High, Kenbridge Elementary, Lunenburg Middle and Victoria Elementary. This money will continue the ongoing efforts that began several years ago to upgrade the security at each of the schools.
Prior to becoming Lunenburg County Public Schools Superintendent, Charles Berkley was at the forefront of designing and obtaining equipment through previous rounds of this grant. That effort has helped increase school security and safety.
Some of the changes have included updated locking and entrance systems at the schools, additional cameras that are located at strategic points inside and outside of the schools in addition to overall security equipment upgrades. These upgrades have not only helped monitor the schools to ensure safety for kids and employees, but have also been used in helping local police departments with some minor vandalism incidents at the locations.
This additional money will allow Mr. Berkley and Director of Maintenance, Jan Clarke, to continue the work of ensuring that the kids at LCPS will have a safe environment in which to learn.
School divisions and regional educational programs were invited in June to apply for the 2015 grants. The largest grant a school division may receive under the program is $100,000. A local match of 25 percent is required of most divisions.
Other area schools that were awarded grant money during this most recent round included:
• Amelia County – $100,000 for Amelia County Elementary, Amelia County Middle and Amelia County High
• Appomattox County – $59,118 for Appomattox County High, Appomattox Elementary, Appomattox Middle and Appomattox Primary
• Dinwiddie County – $100,000 for Dinwiddie County High, Dinwiddie County Middle, Dinwiddie Elementary, Midway Elementary, Southside Elementary, Sunnyside Elementary and Sutherland Elementary
• Prince Edward County – $39,020 for Prince Edward County High, Prince Edward County Vocational Technical Center, Prince Edward Elementary and Prince Edward Middle School