by Hunter Dawkins

With a brief meeting Monday night at the Henry Arledge Administration Building in Gulfport, the Harrison County School Board awarded L.H. Fore for clearing and grubbing the newly constructed West Harrison Middle School in Gulfport.

The bid was for $44,563.75 and was the first step in construction of the new school, which plans to be open in 2021, according to the Harrison County School District officials.

Another discussion presented involved proposals for the funds left to the county schools by Darrell Saucier.  Harrison County School District Superintendent Roy Gill told the board there would be three committees setup to recommend the placement of these allocations.

Finally, the school board unanimously approved request from Farm Bureau Federation Company to use facilities at West Harrison High School for their annual meeting.  This non-profit activity has occurred in the school district since 1970.

The Harrison County School District is taking extra measures to enhance the safety and security of our students and staff.  Here are a few highlights that you can focus on tomorrow (Thursday):

Starting in the 2019-20 school year, HCSD is implementing a new screening system for every person who visits our schools, including central office.  The Visitors Hall Pass Management System was recently installed on all 22 campuses in HCSD.  You are welcomed to visit our central office to see a demonstration of this new system.

Work is underway this summer to upgrade the security entrances at ten of our schools.  Five projects have already been completed, while the rest are either under construction or in the final design stages.  The entrance improvements were part of the 2018 HCSD Bond Issue that was passed last October.  We can take you to a school to show you the updated security features.

Once again, administrators and directors in the Harrison County School District will undergo CRASE training to prepare for the new school year. CRASE stands for “Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events”. Harrison County School District was the first district in Mississippi to hold CRASE training for educators.