SECURITY MEASURES WOVEN INTO MIDDLETOWN MIDDLE HIGH SCHOOL 

MIDDLETOWN, RI (JUNE 1, 2026) – When Middletown’s schools were constructed decades ago, security wasn’t really a major consideration.

Over the years, each of the buildings has been retrofitted and upgraded with technology and other measures to protect them in case of emergency.

At the new Middletown Middle High School, the latest high-tech measures will be woven into every aspect of the 211,000-square-foot building at 1225 Aquidneck Ave.  to make it among the safest structures in Middletown.

Without getting into details, Shared Facilities Director Ed Collins said students, parents and the community should know security was a top priority when designing and constructing the new school.

“We don’t like to get too in depth about the security plans for obvious reasons,” Collins said. “It’s safe to say we have everything we need in place and it will all work together.”

Leading up to the November 2023 election where funding for the new building was approved, area officials visited two schools in Massachusetts for an idea about what was possible.

One of the points of emphasis of those who led the tours of Saugus Middle High and Weymouth High schools was safety.

The limited points of access, few exterior doors, cameras and monitoring systems and more were cited, all installed to help.

From Day 1 of the project in Middletown, local leaders said security has been an integral but lesser discussed part of the new school.

In response to questions from Town Councilor Dennis Turano, Collins said there would a security card system in place to monitor who’s in the building. Collins said that system will work seamlessly with existing networks used by the School Department and Middletown emergency responders.

He also noted there will be cameras and other detection devices in place as well throughout the building.

“We’re going to have everything on one system,” Collins said. “We’ve researched this thoroughly and determined this was the best option for everyone.”

The new school remains “on time and on budget,” with interior work now happening in a number of locations. The building is slated to open in time for the start of the 2027-2028 school year.

The way the project is being funded, no spike is built into the proposed Fiscal 2027 tax rate — or future tax rates. Rather, the school is scheduled to cost the median local homeowner about $1.40 a day.

Importantly, the state Department of Education has pledged to reimburse Middletown 55 percent of the cost, or 55 cents on every dollar.

For updates about the project, please visit the School Building Committee website at https://mdl.town/SBC online.

At the end of the conversation, Collins thanked the council for not demanding too many  security details publicly, something council President Paul M. Rodrigues said was completely understandable considering the subject.

“I don’t get the sense you’re going to share that anyways,” Rodrigues said, eliciting laughter from the audience.

Document Link: https://mdl.town/NYCU-Woven

About Middletown

The Town of Middletown is a vibrant municipality located on Aquidneck Island, known for its scenic beauty, historic landmarks, diverse economy and strong sense of community. For more information about all we have to offer, visit MiddletownRI.gov online.

Media Contact

Matt Sheley

Public Affairs Officer

401-842-6543

msheley@middletownri.gov