Norfolk D.A. Awards Canton, Blue Hills Schools Security Grant

Canton Public Schools and Blue Hills Regional Vocational Technical School received quite a gift from Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey this week.  

As part of Morrissey's 2012 School Security Summit in Randolph, seven educators from Canton walked away with a grant of $2,000 for hand-held radios for high school personnel to communicate with one another and the Canton Police Department in the event of emergency.

Four educators from Blue Hills, meanwhile, applied to use $2,000 to buy the DVR and hard drive system needed to enhance the school's currently-existing security camera system, according to an announcement by Morrissey's office Monday. 

The grant money will come out of assets seized from drug dealers by law enforcement and forfeited during court proceedings, according to Monday's announcement.

“We are doing all we can to make Norfolk County’s schools as safe as possible, and we appreciate Canton’s strong partnership,” Morrissey said in a statement after the Summit. “Tragic, deadly events in other areas of the country have taught law enforcement and school officials valuable lessons on what works and what does not to keep students safe. We were able to use monies confiscated from and forfeited by drug dealers to bring in experts from as far away as Texas to talk about the very real threats students face, and hopefully provide local officials with additional tools to avoid those problems.”

Canton High School Principal Derek Folan, Nurse Leader Janet Donnelly, Police Chief Kenneth Berkowitz, school resource officer Chip Yeaton, Superintendent Jeff Granatino and school adjustment counselor Donna Creed Bauman all attended the summit.  

From Blue Hills, Superintendent James Quaglia, Assistant Superintendent Michael Barrett, Dean of Students Thomas Cavanaugh and Jill Rossetti attended.