Aitkin Public Schools recently received a grant that will allow them to renovate an entrance to their building to be monitored, safe, and secure.

Aitkin High School received a $495,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Education which will be used to redesign an entrance to the school to be secure and safe. One entrance to the school was chosen to be renovated to ensure that during school hours, visitors will have to go through one, secure entrance and be monitored before entering the building.

“When you come into the building, you are going to have to go through a reception center in the office and then from there, we can let them go out another door into the main floor after they’ve signed in and everything. Besides that we do keep the other doors locked in the school, and so that will just add to overall safety and a little more control for us, for students and access,” said Charles Rick, Aitkin Public Schools Interim Superintendent.

90 school districts from across the state received a total of $25 million in school safety grants from the Minnesota Department of Education. Grant eligibility was determined by project priority, with half the grant funds to be available to schools outside of the 11-county Metro area.

“Certainly I think when you read the news nationally, there’s a lot of events that unfortunately impact communities, and we’re really trying to get ahead of that and be proactive in terms of the safety and security of the building and the students,” explained Tiffany Gustin, Aitkin Public Schools Business Manager. “We have a lot of needs but certainly safety is at the top of that list.”

The project is set to begin this summer. The school district hopes to have the secure entrance completed during the fall of 2019.

By — Rachel Johnson

Lakeland News Lead Reporter