COVINGTON — The Alleghany Highlands Public Schools Division has been awarded a grant to enhance safety and security features at Covington Middle School.
AHPS will receive $157,600 under the latest round of School Security Equipment Grants recently announced by the Virginia Department of Education. A total of $12 million in grants were awarded to help protect students, faculty, and visitors in 483 schools in 98 school divisions.
AHPS will use its share of the money to upgrade classroom door security and security hardware for main entrances to Covington Middle School. In addition, CMS recently implemented new procedures for visitors who enter the building. The new measures will provide an extra level of security for the students and staff.
“We are grateful to our team for applying for this grant during the summer months,” said Kim Halterman and Melinda Snead-Johnson, leaders of AHPS. “It is truly wonderful that the Commonwealth of Virginia provides an infusion of state funds for safety projects.”
Grants for the 2023-2024 school year were awarded on a competitive basis to school divisions. The funds awarded were based on a ranked order on the competitive application criteria. The historic school divisions of Alleghany County Public Schools and Covington City Public Schools also received school safety grants.
Most recently, Alleghany County Public Schools was awarded a $91,999 grant in January 2021. The grant funded security equipment for all schools in the county. At the same time, Covington City Public Schools was awarded an $80,000 grant for Covington High School. CHS became Covington Middle School in July 2023. Covington City Schools used part of its $80,000 grant for upgrades to security cameras at what is now Covington Middle School.
Alleghany Highlands Public Schools has a school safety team composed of a variety of school, school division, and community leaders that meets regularly to discuss the latest information about school safety. The team includes an active and cross-jurisdictional law enforcement presence, and the team’s discussions help the school division make informed decisions about safety grant applications. The team routinely discusses crisis preparedness and response.
With approximately 2,700 students, the Alleghany Highlands Public Schools Division was formed through the July 2022 merger of Covington City Schools, Alleghany County Public Schools, and Jackson River Technical Center. AHPS is jointly funded by Alleghany County and the City of Covington.
AHPS news and events are updated regularly on Facebook at AHPublicSchools and on Instagram at ahpublicschools. Information is also available at www.ahps.k12.va.us.