New Philadelphia City Schools is one of the award recipients of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine's K-12 School Safety Grant Program. More than 2,000 schools applied for this competitive grant.  All seven of New Philadelphia’s buildings were included among the list of 708 buildings that received grant awards.

New Philadelphia City Schools will receive $317,000 to upgrade the safety and security within their buildings. The district chose their intended projects from a state-wide approved list of safety enhancements.

As part of the grant award, each building will have multiple additional security cameras installed and each building will have additional exterior signage on windows and doors to help first responders in the event of an emergency situation. A significant portion of the grant money will be used to place telephones in all classrooms in the district. These phones will be able to be utilized for regular communication with families and also in the case of an emergency. Only one building currently has this capability.

In addition, Halo Smart Sensors will be purchased and placed in both New Philadelphia High School and Joseph Welty Middle School. The sensors will be capable of vape, smoke, and THC (marijuana) detection and will also alert the office when loud sounds occur, including gunshots and fighting. The district plans to purchase walkie-talkies, as needed, to aid in communication

for the elementary schools. Some of the grant money will also go toward necessary door and key upgrades in the high school, middle school, and in three of the elementary schools.

Superintendent Amy Wentworth states, “We are grateful to have been awarded this grant for each of our eligible buildings. These funds will enable the district to make some essential safety improvements to our buildings that would have otherwise been cost prohibitive, and as a result, our entire community will benefit.”

While the money is expected to be received in the beginning of the new calendar year, projects aren’t expected to begin until spring 2023 with the goal of most upgrades to be fully implemented for the 2023-2024 school year.