Marietta City Schools improving school safety

This summer public address systems at all of the schools in the Marietta City Schools district will be upgraded, and a new visitor control project will be implemented at Marietta Middle School. WSB-TV file photo

This summer public address systems at all of the schools in the Marietta City Schools district will be upgraded, and a new visitor control project will be implemented at Marietta Middle School. WSB-TV file photo

Recent action by the Marietta Board of Education will help improve safety in the Marietta City School District with work to be completed this summer.

For almost $68,435, a contract with R. K. Redding Construction, Inc. has been approved for the visitor control project at Marietta Middle School.

A vestibule will be created in the main lobby that controls visitor access and requires each person to check into the front office before entering the main hallways or stairwells, according to MCS Superintendent Grant Rivera.

The project is scheduled for completion this summer.

For $268,336, SWC-Richardson will provide the Internet Protocol (I.P.) Intercom System project to upgrade the public address systems at each district school/site for improved safety and operational efficiency.

This project includes all hardware, labor and support to install an I.P. Intercom system that complements the recently installed I.P. phone system, Rivera said.

The I.P. Intercom system includes pre-recorded announcements, access from any I.P. phone throughout the site, bell schedule modifications and zone paging.

The systems already have been installed at A. L. Burruss Elementary School and Marietta High School.

This project expands the system to all remaining district schools and sites.

The system will be installed and training provided this summer with full operation for the 2019-20 school year.

MCS is anticipating reimbursement from the Georgia Department of Education Fiscal Year 2019 Facilities Security Grant for each school site and also for the visitor control project, Rivera added.