Allentown School District Awarded $45,000 State Grant To Improve Safety Systems At Its High Schools
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ALLENTOWN, PA – On Thursday, April 11, 2024, the Allentown School District School Board of Directors announced that it received a $45,000 School Safety & Security School District Meritorious Grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime & Delinquency to improve day-to-day safety, including student supervision, visitor management, access controls, cameras, and intercom at its high schools.
The Commission awards Meritorious Grants to school districts for programs that address physical safety and security as well as mental health. This year a total of $18,655,000 in Meritorious Grants were awarded.
The District received a $45,000 Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency Meritorious Grant after performing a safety audit with Save Havens Inc. The District plans to implement a Drift Net Solution that would improve day-to-day safety, including student supervision, visitor management, access controls, cameras, and intercom at Building 21, William Allen High School, and Louis E. Dieruff High School.
The Drift Net solution uses artificial intelligence to enhance the security system to run instantaneous background checks on visitors, monitor the number of people in every room of the school, and create a virtual campus perimeter that would show when people were on school property, but outside of the school.
“The Allentown School District is committed to constantly improving the safety and security of our schools to ensure students are in class and learning from our amazing educators,” said Dr. Carol D. Birks, Allentown School District’s Superintendent. “The efforts to improve physical safety are part of a multi-tiered system of support that also includes increased access to mental health services.”
In addition to addressing physical safety, the District has taken steps to increase mental health support by introducing the Counslr app, partnering with Hazel Health, adopting 7 Mindsets, and increasing awareness of its Student Assistance Program.
The Counslr app gives direct, 24/7/365 on-demand mobile access to mental health resources and supports for students 14 years of age and older.
All four middle schools have adopted 7 Mindsets, a Social Emotional Curriculum that teaches students the skills needed to master social and emotional learning competencies. The District has a Mental Health Taskforce that assesses and aligns the District’s services.
Hazel Health, the national leader in school-based teletherapy, offers evidence-based, virtual mental health services to all students at no cost to families beginning in May 2024. With this program, every Allentown School District student who needs mental health support can connect virtually with a licensed therapist at school or home, at no cost, regardless of insurance status.
The Pennsylvania Student Assistance Program assists in identifying issues including alcohol, tobacco, other drugs, and mental health issues that pose a barrier to a student's success. The primary goal of the Student Assistance Program is to help students overcome these barriers so that they may achieve, advance, and remain in school.
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