LIBERTY — The Liberty Local School District has announced that its new state-of-the-art safety features are nearing completion while discussing their integration.

The Trumbull County Educational Service Center issued a news release Jan. 30 about the meeting at Liberty in which the Ohio Safety Commission, Proline Technology, Liberty Police Department, Liberty Fire Department and school administration participated.

“One of the key objectives of the meeting was to initiate the evaluation of the district’s existing emergency operating plan, and aligning it with the advanced technology that will soon be up and running throughout our schools,” now-retired Superintendent Andy Tommelleo said.

“Our comprehensive approach ensures that Liberty schools remain at the forefront of school safety, integrating this cutting-edge technology into our emergency preparedness plans.”

The district’s deal for installation through Proline Technology received a funding boost through the Ohio K-12 Safety Grant Program. The school was awarded $300,000 last year.

Specifically, $292,074 of that money was used for Proline Technology to install 121 cameras districtwide. This included 58 at Liberty High School alone.

A SmartPass system — monitored by teachers, administration and police — is used to track the location of students while on campus.

SmartPass lists on its website the following technological attributes:

• Prevent students from wandering around halls.

• Limit passes, restrict rooms and control the flow.

• Automatically see which students are meeting up and instantly block them.

• Manage daily procedures like late arrivals and early dismissals.

The SmartPass system is fully installed, according to Liberty High School Principal Brian Knight. “Students create their passes, or they’re assigned passes by their teachers,” Knight said. “It shows where the kids are at all times. It’s a massive upgrade for us. I mean, if they make a left turn down a hallway, it will literally show us a green arrow pointing in the direction they went.” Administrators and police can see all of the activity online, Knight said, even from home.

The SmartPass operations cost the district $1,993, and the “pro” upgrade allows for 500 licenses at $3.99 each.

“The Verkada system itself will actually track anybody who comes in the building,” Knight said about the new cameras suggested by Proline. “It will show me exactly where everybody is at with indication arrows. If I want to identify an intruder in the building who may be wearing a red sweatshirt, anyone who is in a red sweatshirt would pop up.”

The SmartPass system provides a cloud-based server to connect throughout all schools within the district.

“With the pictures that we have taken from the kids, it identifies the pictures and will recognize where they are,” Knight continued.

If a child is missing, Knight explained, the name can be typed into the server, and SmartPass will show his or her last location within the district.

“As Liberty Local School District nears completion of this project, stakeholders gathered to discuss the system’s functionality, how it will be integrated into the district’s daily operations, as well as how the system will coordinate with local law enforcement and fire services,” Kate Keller, a public relations specialist with the Trumbull ESC, said.

In addition to the SmartPass system, a visitor management center, panic buttons and Flock license plate cameras will be funded through the Ohio K-12 Safety Grant Program.

Based on the recommendation of Tommelleo, the base bid for $292,074 from Proline Technology of North Bend, Ohio, was accepted in November.

The previously selected bid from Pacific OneSource totaled $344,728, but no contract was inked with that company.

“I believe it’s going to give all of our instructors a tremendous sense of security where they all have the ability to touch a button and report critical information,” Tommelleo said about the upgrades.