Oakland County sheriff, Oakland Schools host safety summit

More than 100 law enforcement officials and school administrators from across Oakland County gathered Monday to take part in a special summit to learn about boosting security in local school districts to protect students.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard and Wanda Cook-Robinson, superintendent of Oakland Schools, were hosting the summit in Pontiac for more than 100 attendees, including police chiefs, fire chiefs, district administrators and experts on school safety and emergency prevention.

“Obviously school safety is of great interest and of great importance,” Bouchard said in a press release.

The summit comes as districts across Metro Detroit are evaluating and boosting their safety protocols, especially after the mass shooting at Oxford High School last November that left four students dead and several more injured.

The Anchor Bay School District hired armed guards this year to patrol its schools. Southfield hired a security firm for a safety assessment. And Northville Public Schools gave key fobs to nearby police so they can quickly access school buildings in the event of an emergency.

District also have access to additional funds to pay for security upgrades. At the beginning of October, Michigan districts could tap into an additional $210 million granted for student safety in the state's 2023 budget. Roughly $168 million is for discretionary school safety needs, $25 million is for hiring school safety officers and $15 million is for cross-system partnerships between schools, law enforcement and mental health professionals.