{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"The News Journal","provider_url":"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net","title":"Whitley County schools getting $450,000 in security upgrades &ndash; The News Journal","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"OP70SqxMSn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/whitley-county-schools-getting-450000-in-security-upgrades\/\">Whitley County schools getting $450,000 in security upgrades<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/whitley-county-schools-getting-450000-in-security-upgrades\/embed\/#?secret=OP70SqxMSn\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;Whitley County schools getting $450,000 in security upgrades&#8221; &#8212; The News Journal\" data-secret=\"OP70SqxMSn\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/* ]]> *\/\n<\/script>\n","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/3-col-Whitley-7th-grade-basketball-4x.jpg","thumbnail_width":480,"thumbnail_height":268,"description":"The Whitley County school district will be spending over $450,000 over the next two years improving security throughout the district thanks in large part to a federal grant that it received recently. Among the list of items being done is installation of 3M shatter resisting film over some school doors and windows, and new, improved and additional handheld radios for each school to improve communications in the event of an emergency, Superintendent John Siler told the Whitley County Board of Education during a special meeting Thursday. He added that the 3M film isn\u2019t bulletproof, but it does keep glass windows and doors from shattering instantly if they are shot, which could provide valuable time in the event of an active shooter situation. \u201cEverything is safety. What can we do to keep our kids safer? We were tickled to death and partnered up with the Whitley County Fiscal Court. We had to have a partner like that to write the grant with us,\u201d Siler said. \u201cThey worked just hand in hand with us. It is going to be a big help. It is going to allow us to do a lot of things that we couldn\u2019t do without this grant. We just couldn\u2019t pull this much money out of the general fund.\u201d The 2018 COPS Office Stop School Violence Prevention Program grant will provide the district with $339,004 in federal funds over a two-year period, and it will require a local cash match of $113,001 for a total of $452,005 in funding. Siler said that the district started writing the grant last spring. \u201cWe started looking at schools and some of the security needs that we thought we had. We wrote the grant according to that. This is kind of a line item grant. We basically got almost every item we asked for approved,\u201d he said. The grant will also be used upgrade buses so cameras will be placed inside. In addition, the grant will be used to upgrade and increase the number of security cameras at each school. In other business during Thursday\u2019s meeting, the board: \u2022 Recognized the Whitley County Girl\u2019s Seventh Grade Basketball Team, which recently won Kentucky Basketball Commission Middle School State Championship in Lexington. \u201cThey are back-to-back state champions. Any time in sports to win one state championship is difficult. To do it in back-to-back years is really special,\u201d Siler noted. \u201cThis is a phenomenal group of young ladies.\u201d The team finished the year with a record of 29-1 overall record. \u2022 Approved the $297,000 two-year preschool partnership grant for 2019 and 2020, which will allow preschool programs to expand from 19 classrooms to 20 classrooms with the additional classroom located at Oak Grove Elementary School. The grant also supports enhancing the implementation of all-day preschool services for at-risk preschool students. Eligibility is based on a parental need. \u201cIt is a great program,\u201d added Board Chairman Larry Lambdin. \u2022 Accepted the Kentucky Education Technology System (KETS) $32,837 offer of assistance, which goes towards technology funding. The funding is based upon the average daily attendance rate, and requires an equal match by the school district. \u201cIt goes a long way for what we do with it in the district providing Chrome Books, and providing networking behind the scenes,\u201d said Chief Information Officer Kevin Anderson. \u201cWe\u2019ll definitely put it to good use.\u201d \u2022 Approved the $105,000 fresh fruit and vegetable program grant, which allows elementary school students to get a snack after lunch and before they get on the bus. Schools receiving the grant money include: Whitley North, Whitley East, Pleasant View and Boston elementary schools, Whitley Central Primary and Whitley Central Intermediate schools. \u201cIt is always some kind of fruit or vegetable,\u201d Siler noted. \u2022 Approved the reconvening of the Whitley County Local Planning Committee in order to develop a new district facility plan, which is essentially a wish-list of building projects for the district. \u201cThis can be anything from blacktop to roofs. It can include geothermal systems, windows, anything. I\u2019d like to ask each of our principals to take a hard look at their buildings and some of their needs. We want to make sure we get everything covered on this district facility plan,\u201d Siler said. \u201cThat by no means means that KDE (Kentucky Department of Education) is going to fund this or we will get to do this, but if you don\u2019t have the need there and have it on paper, then you will never get it \u2026\u00a0Down the line we are positioning ourselves to do some of these projects.\u201d Put another way, \u201cIf you don\u2019t ask, you won\u2019t receive,\u201d Lambdin added. The board also voted to retain RossTarrant Architects to help develop the plan. Architect Laith Ross told the board that it has been five or six years since the last district facilities plan was done, and he hopes to have it submitted to the state in April. The planning committee is composed of Siler; board member Malorie Cooper; District Facilities Supervisor Joe Jones; community members Ronnie Moses, Eskridge Shelton and Shannon Perkins; local school zoning official Herschel Roberts; teachers Sherry Lawson, Anthony Osborne, Bryan Stewart and Amanda Creekmore; parents Travis Roaden, Tim Smith, Roger Prewitt and Stacey Mahan; central office representative Paula Rickett; and principals Stuart Conlin, Larry Brown, Bobby Gibbs and Gina Wilson. \u2022 Approved the purchase of a $106,338 Type A Handicapped Equipped Bus. This will increase the number of such buses to five for the district. Only four buses are currently needed for daily routes and the oldest bus will be designated as a substitute bus."}