The Georgia School Boards Association, Risk Management Services (RMS) is pleased to announce the 2017-2018 Safety Grant recipients.
The GSBA Safety Grants are in their third year. The grants are available to assist and improve safety infrastructure in local school systems.
“Safety of Georgia’s public school students and faculty have been and always will be a priority for us,” said Valarie Wilson, GSBA Executive Director. “We are excited to provide an opportunity to highlight and support our school districts in their important work of educating children.”
This year’s total grant money awarded is $50,000. The GSBA RMS received 35 applications.
GSBA Director of Risk Management Services, Mr. Cliff Cole stated, “Our Risk Management Services staff are committed to ensuring our member schools receive the supports and resources needed to implement safety programs and procedures.”
All applications were sent to the GSBA office where a selection committee read and reviewed the entries. Three representatives from different departments of the GSBA Risk Management Services division reviewed the anonymous applications. All were evaluated on a comparative basis. After careful consideration of each application, the following were selected:
Baldwin County $5,000
To purchase fencing to go around the playground of a specific school that is located very close to a high traffic area. There have been previous incidents.
Bleckley County $5,000
To purchase security systems for several areas that do not have any. These locations include the bus shop area, pre-k site and another school.
Doughtery County $5,000
To purchase stop-arm cameras for three school buses that have been identified as having a high number of illegal passes.
McIntosh County $5,000
To purchase security lighting and video surveillance for the bus parking areas/fuel pumps and maintenance storage area. The grant will also be used for the purchase of bus stop cameras for special needs buses.
Pelham City $5,000
As one of the poorest school districts in the state and very limited funding for student transportation, the grant will be utilized to purchase and install three special needs buses and one athletic bus with video surveillance cameras.
Savannah-Chatham $5,000
Based on recent vandalism incidents involving eight school sites and buses, the grant will go toward the purchase and installation of lighting and video surveillance of the high-incident areas.
Wayne County $5,000
Based on the number of slips, trips and falls within the food service department, the grant will be utilized to purchase comfortable, professional and slip resistant shoes to the entire staff.
Barrow County $2,000
To go toward the purchase of slip-resistant mats beneath water coolers in the buildings which have porcelain or vinyl composite tile.
Habersham County $2,500
To purchase safety shoes for the nutrition dept. to help prevent slips, trips and falls.
Jefferson City $2,940
After a review of accidents and a safety team recommendation, the grant will be used to purchase slip resistant rugs to help prevent falls at entry and exit locations.
Long County $1,800
Due to several accidents over the past few years related to speed on some school campuses the grant money will be utilized to purchase speed humps to place at strategic locations in an effort to slow down traffic.
Muscogee County $2,240
To purchase personal protective equipment for staff working with special needs students whose behaviors often include physical aggression.
Putnam County $3,530
To purchase safety equipment for the food service staff to help reduce slips, falls and burns.
About GSBA Risk Management Services
GSBA Risk Management Services (RMS) offers protection through its group-self-insurance plans for workers’ compensation, property and liability risks. RMS partners with Georgia public school systems and goes far beyond the normal service of a commercial insurance broker. The staff builds relationships with its members and provides training and information to assist members in successfully managing their risks.
About GSBA
The mission of the Georgia School Boards Association is to ensure excellence in the governance of local school systems by providing leadership, advocacy and services, and by representing the collective resolve of Georgia’s 180 elected boards of education.
Visit www.gsba.com
Media Contact: Justin Pauly, Director of Communications, jpauly@gsba.com, 770-962-6843