FRAMINGHAM, MA — A "shot-spotter" system at Framingham High School may save lives in the event of a school shooting by telling police where an active shooter is located. But local police, educators, and elected officials say that such technology is just a tiny piece of a larger effort to prevent school violence.
During a roundtable discussion at a Framingham middle school on Tuesday, officials from Gov. Charlie Baker to state education commissioner Jeffrey Riley discussed the many tactics officials are trying out to prevent the next school shooting from taking place in Massachusetts.
Officials also announced Tuesday that $7.3 million in state grants had been given to 143 school districts (see list below) across the state for safety upgrades. Baker said there's the possibility of $15 million more, subject to approval in the state House. Some of that money went to Framingham for the shooting-spotter technology, but the grants are also being used to fund programs to help students — for efforts like suicide prevention, for example, or programs like "Start With Hello!" to reduce social isolation.