The Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) will award $50 million in funding for school safety initiatives through its School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP).
The program provides up to 75 percent funding for school safety measures for primary and secondary schools and school grounds.
“With the new school year underway, the safety of our nation’s students remains paramount,” COPS Office Director Phil Keith said. “Although this school year may look different at the start, now is the ideal time to make preparations to enhance school safety for when all of our children are back in the classroom.”
Overall, 160 awards are being given out to schools totaling $50 million. The awards can be used for coordination with law enforcement; training for local law enforcement officers to prevent student violence; metal detectors, locks, lighting, and other deterrent measures; technology for expedited notification of local law enforcement during an emergency; and other measures that provide a significant improvement in security.
In addition, the COPS Office School Safety Working Group, which is composed of representatives from eight national law enforcement organizations, has identified 10 essential actions that can be taken by schools, school districts, and law enforcement agencies to help prevent critical incidents at schools. The Ten Essential Actions to Improve School Safety are applicable to school shootings as well as to other areas of school safety, including natural disasters and traumatic events such as student suicide.
Since 1994, the COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies.