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KALAMAZOO, MI — Kalamazoo schools is taking extra steps to keep kids safe amid reoccurring mass shootings across the nation.
Superintendent Rita Raichoudhuri said Thursday that additional training for staff, new visitor screening technology and secured entrances will help keep Kalamazoo schools secure from outside threats.
During the June 9 school board meeting, Raichoudhuri and board members talked school security measures and called on legislators to enact stricter gun laws.
“I appreciate that our district is doing everything we can to keep our kids safe,” Trustee Megan Maddock said.
With help from bond funds approved in 2018, the district has also reconstructed secure vestibules at entrances at nearly every school building across the city.
Future safety upgrades planned by the district include additional exterior security cameras for elementary schools, the purchase of X-ray machines and additional weapons detectors, updated intercom entry systems, connecting KPS radios directly to law enforcement and additional secure vestibules.
In addition to physical security measures, the district has also partnered with a variety of community organizations to help students.
KPS partners with Gryphon Place to support conflict resolution and restoration practices in schools while a Communities in Schools Kalamazoo program targets at-risk students with wrap-around support and extensive mentoring programs, Raichoudhuri said.
The district also has a partnership with local police called “Handle With Care” that provides school-based support for students after incidents involving the police outside of school.
