Rhode Island school districts to complete walkthroughs by June 10, upgrades to be complete by next school year

LINCOLN, R.I. (WLNE) — Rhode Island school districts will complete a walkthrough by the June 10 to make safety upgrades that will be completed by the next school year.

This move comes one week after the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, where 21 students and teachers were killed.

Districts will work with the local police and the Rhode Island Department of Education to conduct the walkthroughs at every school in the state with the goal of identifying potential safety and security issues.

“Schools, where potential hazards are found, are encouraged to work with local law enforcement and school safety teams to identity solutions,” said Gov. Dan McKee at a press conference Tuesday afternoon.

Potential hazards can range from doors and windows, car access, landscape features, lighting, alarm and camera systems, and communications systems.

According to RIDE, $500,000 will be designated to each school district that identifies any safety issues after the walkthrough. Funds will be administered through the school building authority to make any adjustments needed

According to the superintendent of Lincoln Public Schools, and a member of Rhode Island’s school safety committee, Dr. Lawrence Filippelli, security upgrades will be implemented over the summer to be ready for when students return to the classroom next fall.

“The timing is good so that you have students not in the building and teachers not in the building for the most part, and so anything that is identified can get done,” Filippelli said.

Walkthroughs will be conducted by facilities directors and principals over the next week, with a checklist being reported to RIDE afterward.

Filippelli said Rhode Island has been ahead of the eight ball in its preparation and security measures for years, but also added that there are upgrades that need to be made, and having up to $500,000 designated to a school district for repairs can wind up being life-saving.

“Any items that needed to be addressed in the past will be right at the forefront now. So, I would imagine that a lot of these administrators and superintendents across the state already know a lot of the issues that needed to be addressed, and now they can address those,” Filippelli said.