Soon, the schools in St. James will be a little safer.

Courtesy of a $193,217 grant that was awarded to the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department and the St. James School District by the Department of Justice, the district will reap the benefits of improved security measures.

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson confirmed the award of the two-year matching grant on Wednesday.
“These funds will really help ease the financial burden on Phelps County for the day-to-day operations and preparedness required to keep students safe,” Emerson said.

“I’m very proud that this funding will be put to good use in the Eighth Congressional District, where our standards for law enforcement and public safety are extremely high,” Emerson said.

The COPS “Secure Our Schools” grant will assist in funding new safety measures at St. James’ schools, including the installation of camera surveillance systems, speed bumps, metal detectors and keyless-entry systems. Additionally, a new system designed to scan the driver licenses of school visitors and check them against a national sex-offender registry is on the list of safety initiatives planned.