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Geneva parents fundraising for school door barricades

Geneva Parents for School Safety is taking this month very seriously.

GENEVA – October is National Bullying Prevention month – a time when school district staff spend extra time to promote kindness among students and school safety, in general.

And parents play a role in school safety too. In Geneva, a non-profit organization called Geneva Parents for School Safety is taking this month very seriously.

“We wanted to mark this month with a series of events and activities for Geneva students to express their need and wish for kindness in their schools,” said Margie Netzel who helped jumpstart the parent organization.

Early Wednesday, organizers from Geneva Parents for Schools Safety spent time at Geneva High High School and Middle School for a special “kindness” event. Students signed kindness pledges and tied ribbons to a fence to symbolize that pledge that shouldn’t be broken.

In return, parents have a pledge of their own. They’re working to raise $63,000 dollars for the school district to purchase and install lock down door barricades designed to be used by teachers when there’s an intruder in the building.

“Immediately after the Parkland shooting, we came to the school board and said ‘we’re very concerned,’”said Netzel. “We’re very concerned about the fact that we don’t have a physical safeguard for our students. And the school board was very receptive.”

The parent group first went to the district with their request, only to find out the district couldn’t afford the purchase. So, parents decided to raise the money on their own.

Each Anchorman Door lock costs about $250 each. The school would have to purchase one for 251 doors in buildings across the district. That amounts to a $63,000 goal for the district. They’ve collected about %30 of that over the last six months through donations and sponsorships from local organizations, businesses and the general public.

School leaders support their efforts, saying it’s important to have as many layers of security as possible.

Geneva Middle School principal Alex Anderson is always looking for ways to make schools safer. “Our society is changing,” he said. “And we do need to make that we have things in place so that we can incorporate ways to stay safe within our school.”

As they work to reach their goal, parents and administrators continue to promote kindness and work to make the schools as safe as possible. But they also acknowledge, there’s always more that can be done.

“We’re very excited that we’ve made as much progress as we have. But we have a long way to go,” said Netzel.

For more information on Geneva Parents for School Safety and their fundraising efforts, visit their website.

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