Chatham Schools To Be Reimbursed $234K For Security Upgrades

CHATHAM, NJ - The School District of the Chathams is one of New Jersey’s school districts allocated $234,432 in first-round funding for school security projects through the "Securing Our Children’s Future Bond Act."

Governor Phil Murphy signed off on July 1 for over $66 million in school security project grants after the legislation passed in the Senate on June 24 in Bill S3959 and in the Assembly on June 21 in Bill A5886.

School District of the Chathams' Superintendent Dr. Michael LaSusa said the district will receive reimbursement for “various security-related expenses, including the installation of a silent police notification system,” to alert law enforcement if there is an emergency.

Other security upgrades eligible for reimbursement are shatter-resistant glass, surveillance cameras, intercoms, remote locking/unlocking doors and impact-rated vehicle barriers.

The security provisions are part of “Alyssa’s Law” that Murphy signed in 2019 in memory of Woodcliff Lake native Alyssa Alhadeff, who at age 14 was one of 17 students who died during the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February 2018.

There will be 494 proposed school security projects funded in the first round, according to a news release from Murphy’s office, with New Jersey’s Department of Education administering the grants.

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