Portage County schools will make safety improvements with help from a state grant

Five Portage County school districts and Bio-Med Science Academy will receive a total of over $660,000 as a part of the state’s K-12 School Safety Program.

The grants can be used to pay for upgrades to security equipment like cameras, public address systems and locks.

Most of the Portage County districts plan to use the funding for keycard systems on building doors and Multi-Agency Radio Communication Systems for buses, reports the Record-Courier.

The amounts were awarded as follows:

Bio-Med Science Academy — $50,000

Field Local Schools — $200,000 ($50,000 each to Field High School, Middle School, Suffield Elementary and Brimfield Elementary)

James A. Garfield Local Schools — $141,633.74 ($50,000 each to the high school and elementary; $42,633.74 to the middle school building)

Ravenna City Schools — $119,348.05 ($26,441.87 to Brown Elementary; $14,653.45 to Ravenna Childcare Preschool; $25,061.54 to Ravenna High School; $16,646.93 to West Main Elementary; $16,506.86 to West Park Elementary; $20,037.40 to Willyard Elementary)

Rootstown Local Schools — $100,000 ($50,000 each to the middle school and elementary school buildings)

Waterloo Local School District — $50,000