By Republican Press Office—
STATEHOUSE – Many Delaware County schools recently received more than $677,000 through the state’s Secured School Safety Grant Program, according to State Reps. Elizabeth Rowray (R-Yorktown) and J.D. Prescott (R-Union City).
Rowray said the funding is part of the state legislature’s significant investments this year in school safety, which totaled $29.8 million in state matching grants across 474 schools in Indiana.“Keeping our students safe has and will continue to be a priority for me,” Rowray said. “This session, I was eager to support legislation providing funding for these safety grants and expanding what they can be used for.”
Local schools receiving grants include:
- Liberty-Perry Community School Corp., $48,000;
- Muncie Community Schools, $100,000;
- Wes-Del Community Schools, $50,000;
- Yorktown Community Schools, $99,988;
- Burris Laboratory School, $10,561;
- Cowan Community School Corp., $34,158;
- Daleville Community Schools, $50,000;
- Monroe Central School Corp., $100,000;
- Delaware Community School Corp., $100,000;
- Indiana Academy for Science, Math and Humanities, $35,000; and
- Inspire Academy – A School of Inquiry, $49,440.
Funds can be used for a range of safety needs like support for resource officers and law enforcement officers in schools, equipment and technology, active-event warning systems, threat assessments, and student and parent support services programs. In 2023, the Indiana General Assembly expanded the list of possible uses for the grants to include help covering the costs of much-needed technology upgrades, and to have better coordination with local government and law enforcement.“Each school’s safety plans are different, so administrators need flexibility when making decisions that can affect the security of staff and students,” Prescott said. “Whether they need an alert system or support for a school resource officer, these funds can help implement the plan that best suits their needs.”Hoosier schools have received about $163 million in school safety matching grants since 2014.To learn more about the Secured School Safety Grant Program and what Indiana’s doing to keep schools safe, visit the state’s school safety hub at in.gov/schoolsafety.
