(Indianapolis, IN) – The Indiana Secured School Safety Board has unanimously approved the distribution of more than $26.9 million to support school safety initiatives, funding 499 projects across the state.
Eight public school corporations in Southeastern Indiana, plus St. Louis, St. Mary’s and St. Michael along with the Southeastern Career Center received funds:
- Batesville Community School Corporation $86,000
- Decatur County Community Schools $61,231.27
- Franklin County Community School Corporation $86,000
- Greensburg Community Schools $75,308.12
- Jac-Cen-Del Community School Corporation $43,000
- Milan Community Schools $28,380
- Saint Louis School $39,560
- Saint Mary’s School (Greensburg) $39,990
- Saint Michael School (Brookville) $47,547.68
- South Ripley Community School Corporation $41,495.86
- Southeastern Career Center $43,000
- Sunman-Dearborn Community School Corporation $79,550
“I want Indiana to set the standard for keeping kids safe at school, and this funding, which includes nearly $20 million for school resource officers, will go directly toward achieving that goal,” said Gov. Mike Braun. “Combined with the work of the Office of School Safety I established last year, we’re giving schools the people, training and tools they need to create safe, welcoming environments where parents have peace of mind and kids can focus on learning, growing and being kids.”
Last year, 502 schools split an allocation of $27 million, of which $19 million was allocated to funding school resource officers.
This year, the total amount of eligible funding requests exceeded the amount of funding for the program. Awarded schools were funded at 86% for their top priority items. Applicants were asked to rank the priority of items to help the Board better understand the greatest need for school districts.
For security reasons, the use of funds by individual schools is not publicly available.
“I’m excited to see continued resources supporting school resource officers and law enforcement. They’re the first line of defense in keeping students safe,” said Julie Q. Smith, Director of the Office of School Safety. “I’m also glad to see design and construction updates prioritized that will improve the learning environment for students across the state.
The Secured School Safety Grant Program is administered by the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.
