Tamaqua Area School District is considering adding smart surveillance cameras using funds from a state grant.

Next week school board members will vote on purchasing 115 door sensors and an undisclosed number of cameras made by Verkada Inc., a tech company which makes surveillance systems for schools and businesses.

The total cost of the equipment is $164,114.65 - which would include 10 years of service and support from Verkada. The district is proposing to take from a state grant it received to address school safety and mental health.

Verkada is based around a digital app which connects many devices at once - including surveillance cameras sensors, and door locks. It allows schools to lock down their doors instantly and share their live camera feeds live with police.

Tamaqua plans to add Verkada sensors the 100-plus building doors which are accessible to students, notifying staff immediately if a door is left open when it shouldn’t be.

Controlling access to school buildings has become a critical issue for school security. Superintendent Raymond J. Kinder said it’s particularly important for Tamaqua because there are older school buildings where some doors do not always close properly.

“You try to tell people to make sure the door is closed, but that’s just not a natural tendency,” he said.

The district already uses Verkada for the key fobs that teachers use to enter school buildings.

Verkada’s app has many other capabilities. According to the company’s website, the app gives schools the ability to search hours of footage from multiple cameras for a particular face, license plate, or piece of clothing. It sells smoking/vaping sensors which can be placed in bathrooms and locker rooms, and paired with cameras in nearby hallways.

The district plans to purchase the technology with funds from a state grant for mental health and physical security. Every district in the commonwealth received at least $200,000 in the 2022-23 state budget for school safety - half for physical security and half for mental health. Tamaqua received $265,112.

Administrators are recommending that the board fund the entire cost of the equipment with the grant. Kinder said if the state only allows the district to use the $132,556 designated for physical security - using $31,558.65 from its capital projects account to cover the balance will be money well spent.

“Even if the grant wasn’t available, this is something we should use capital projects money on to take steps to better secure our facilities,” he said.