INDIANAPOLIS — As the nation mourns the lives lost in the Uvalde, Texas school shooting, school districts across Indiana are preparing to apply for funds that can help them prevent such a tragedy.
Applications for the Secured School Safety Grant open on Wednesday, June 1.
WRTV has learned Indiana schools have received $110 million in state grant dollars to improve school safety since the program began in 2014.
On August 25, 2021, the Indiana Secured School Safety Board awarded 392 school organizations throughout the state with the grant money.
Click here to see how much your school district received.
Records show most of the Secured School Safety Grant dollars are spent on school resource and law enforcement officers.
The allocation of funds for Fiscal Year 22 include:
- $13,440,128.88 for School Resource Officers/law enforcement officers
- $4,926,399.15 for equipment
- $642,369.22 for student and parent support services programs
- $43,678.47 for active event warning services
- $6,233.33 for training
For example, MSD Wayne Township in Marion County has received $100,000 a year for several years in a row thanks to the Secured School Safety Grant program.
MSD Wayne Twp has used the money to help fund two school resource officers at Ben Davis High School.
The Center Grove Community School Corporation received $100,000 in Fiscal Year 2022.
Center Grove spent the school safety grant funds on the Centegix Crisis Alert system which was installed in every building in the corporation.
“The system includes wearable badges with an emergency button,” according to Center Grove’s website. “Once the button is pressed, audio and visual notifications are sent facility-wide using colored strobe lights, desktop alerts, and building intercoms. This will allow the entire building to go on lockdown instantly.
Strobe lights are installed in classrooms, offices, hallways, gymnasiums and cafeterias."
To date, more than $110 million has been awarded to secure Indiana's schools through money appropriated by the Indiana General Assembly, federal grants and matching funds used by local school districts, charter schools and nonpublic accredited schools, according to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security website.
These funds have been used to improve building security (new doors, access control systems, video cameras), fund School Resource Officers and perform threat assessments to determine what threats exist and how to eliminate or respond to them, according to IDHS.
From FY14 to FY22, the Indiana Secured School Grant Board has approved 2,707 grant requests, records show.
The Indiana Secured School Grant Board has denied 73 grant requests during that period. Grant requests may be denied in whole or in part for several reasons, including requests for items or purchases that are not eligible under the statute, incomplete applications or availability of funding, according to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.
- FY2022 Award Information
- FY2021 Award Information
- FY2020 Award Information
- FY2019 Award Information
- FY2018 Award Information
- FY2017 Award Information
- FY2016 Award Information
- FY2015 Award Information
- FY2014 Award Information
-
Speedway apartment complex shows progress in sewage cleanup as fines continue
The Town of Speedway is addressing an ongoing issue involving the discovery of raw sewage on the property at an apartment complex.
Jazz, Pacers fined by NBA for player participation policy breach
The NBA also docked the Indiana Pacers $100,000 for holding out Pascal Siakam and two other starters in a Feb. 3 game against the Jazz.
Hearing examiner recommends approval for Metrobloks data center
The Metrobloks zoning decision now heads to the Department of Metropolitan Development Commission on March 4. An appeal against the decision is expected.
Indiana House passes bill requiring compliance with ICE detainers
The Indiana House passed legislation that would require law enforcement agencies and other entities to comply with federal immigration detainers, moving the measure closer to becoming law.
