A grant of $267,079 was used to finance the construction of the new front entrance of Neenah High School.

Over $10 million were awarded to 147 Wisconsin schools to improve school safety measures, with Neenah receiving their portion last spring.

“The grant will cover needs that had been previously addressed in our District and are significant items we had been considering,” Neenah District Facilities/Engineer Adam Krieger said in an article posted on the N.J.S.D website.

Compared with previous years, the improvement of the front entrance ensures that everyone who enters the building during the day is identified and logged. Students are required to carry their student IDs, which they scan before moving on to their classes. Visitors and parents scan a state ID through the Raptor device, which instantly runs them through the state-wide sex offender registry. When the Raptor clears them, they have a name tag printed out and their entrance logged in the system before being allowed to enter the main building. When they leave, they return the name tag and are marked as having left.

This new entrance system is only one step in a plan to integrate more technology for better safety in all district schools. William Bauer, educational assistant and part of security at NHS, explained that it is important for all students to carry their student ID with them during the school day. It slows down the system and adds a degree of uncertainty to have someone tediously type out their ID number every time they want to enter the building.

He adds that the Board of Education has also been thinking about inserting chips into the IDs that would track where a student is and where, automatically marking attendance when students enter their classrooms.

“Technology is being discussed at all levels; only the future will tell how we progress,” Bauer said.

Apart from the entrance developments, the rest of the grant will be spread out over Neenah K-12 schools. The state limits the use to primary and advanced needs, focusing on what individual schools need. There are plans to install better door locks and shatter-proof window film in all schools. K-12 schools will also receive better cameras and security systems. Some of the grant will go to funding better emergency training and trauma-informed care.

Ideally, these efforts will prevent school violence. In the event of a school shooting, response time from local authorities can be up to 20 minutes according to research cited on WPR. Every person inside the building will be registered and have an ID ready to pull up to show authorities, which could help identify who needs help. If school faculty are informed and ready for the worst-case scenario, the whole district benefits.