Flint, MI Schools Unveil Four New Safety Vehicles

Flint Community Schools, in Flint, MI, have added four new safety vehicles in an attempt to curb violence and promote student safety in district schools. The addition makes for a total fleet of six vehicles patrolling Flint Community Schools. Interim Superintendent Larry Watkins announced the addition of the cars on April 17.

Watkins said the district purchased the vehicles through a federal grant of Section 31a of the State School Aid Act, which provides money to school districts meeting "at-risk" criteria as determined by the Michigan Department of Education.

Twenty percent of the grant can be used toward school safety, according to Bob Campbell, Flint School District spokesman.

"We used some of that 20 percent to purchase these four vehicles, so it did not come out of general (education) dollars," Watkins said.

The six vehicles -- driven by district employees called "security advocates" -- will be used to patrol 21 schools, providing "visibility in our schools and in the Flint community in general" and helping with bus routes, according to Watkins. He hopes the new initiative will help young students understand safety is important and that "police officers aren’t all bad guys."

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