PUEBLO — Pueblo County School District 70 and Widefield School District 3 both won over $1 million in the 2022 School Access For Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant Program.
District 70 was awarded $1,098,837, and District 3 was awarded $1,113,172, which will go towards improving communication between law enforcement and school personnel.
The Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management announced that seven school districts and two boards of cooperative educational services will receive funding.
The grant helps provide a robust multi-channel system called the Interoperable Communication System to school districts. This system bridges three different radio systems together and is in use on school campuses and their surrounding areas.
The system will allow the district to communicate with local emergency agencies through a public safety network in case of school crises.
Pueblo County School District 70 currently has this system in 16 of its 22 schools.
"Our plan is to kind of work backward and refresh those system(s) in our existing schools, and then carry it through the schools that do not have it to date," Lynnette Bonfiglio, the Public Information Officer for District 70 said.
Some school districts in Colorado do arm their teachers with guns for protection, however, this isn't a plan that District 70 is discussing at this time. The district does plan on continuing to enhance security to keep schools safe.
Elizabeth School District was also awarded grant money for communications hardware, software, and extensive training.
Each year, every school district is eligible to apply to receive funding.
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