CENTERVILLE, Ohio — As part of ongoing safety and security upgrades, Centerville City Schools has installed more than 500 surveillance cameras on its campuses.
The project, which started in the fall of 2019, involves installing cameras both inside and outside of the district’s school buildings, reports Dayton Daily News. The district operates 13 school buildings, as well as two preschools and a bus facility accommodating and servicing 120 buses. It has over 8,400 students and more than 1,000 teachers and staff in Centerville and Washington Township.
According to a press release from the district, the project was partially funded through House Bill 166, a school safety initiatives grant. It was also funded by Centerville’s Permanent Improvement (PI) Fund, which is used for improvements to property and fixed assets. In November 2019, voters passed a levy that included an additional $1 million in PI money for Centerville Schools.
“The safety of our students and staff is a priority for us, and we know it is important to our community as well,” said Jon Wesney, the district’s Director of Business Operations. “We are continuously examining our security measures to determine how to keep everyone as safe as possible, and replacing and adding to our surveillance systems is one way to help with that.”
The school district, which is the second-largest district in Montgomery County, also purchased larger screens for each school so personnel can help monitor video surveillance activity.
The screens were funded by Centerville Safe Inc., a nonprofit that works with Centerville to determine priorities, coordinate fundraising activities, and implement school safety and security leading practices between local law enforcement, parents, students, volunteers, and staff and administration, says its website.
For additional safety and security measures being implemented in the district, visit centerville.k12.oh.us/students-parents/safety.
Just last week, the district returned to in-person learning amid the coronavirus pandemic.
