Peabody Police get $65,000 grant from Massachusetts to improve school zone safety
PEABODY - After three students were hit by cars last fall Peabody has been working towards a solution to dangerous driving during school hours. Now the state of Massachusetts is getting involved, giving money to police for road safety, specifically in school zones.
"Your heart just goes into your throat," said Maria Scheri. Her son Nick is a middle schooler and started taking the bus only days before his classmates were hit.
"My son was extremely upset," said Scheri, who made a promise to Nick that she'd do everything she could to prevent another child from being hit. "I promised him that I was going to get this done."
Since September, Peabody public schools and parents have worked toward a solution to keep students safe, like teaching students how to safely exit and enter a bus and implementing a bus camera pilot program to catch drivers speeding around stop signs, using that data to show the state why bus cameras should be law.
"All of us involved in education, the safety of children is the most important," said Assistant Superintendent Dr. Mark Higgins. He added their work locally has gotten the attention of state departments.
The Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security told WBZ-TV their office allocated a grant worth nearly $65,000 to the Peabody Police Department as part of the Municipal Road Safety Program. Higgins said that money will be used for added police patrols during school pick up and drop off hours.
"We have a lot of very busy intersections and busy streets. And so, partnering with our police force, again, just increases the awareness around that," said Higgins.
Higgins and Peabody parents are hoping the added patrols, education and cameras prevent tragedy in the future.
"We don't want a big event to happen to have to react to. So we're trying to be as proactive as we can and keep everybody safe," said Dr. Higgins.
WBZ reached out to the Peabody Police to ask about how they will be implementing additional patrols, either by allowing officers to work overtime or hiring additional police officers. We did not immediately hear back.