One Hundred Million in School Safety Grants for Ohio Schools

September 12, 2022
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Breaking down what’s available. Deadline to apply is Oct 3rd, 2022

In 2021 the K-12 School Safety Grant Program received a high volume of applications for its $5 million in grant funding for Ohio public schools.  While these grants have been awarded, the state has since authorized $100 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for additional school security grants under the new 2022 K-12 School Safety Grant Program. Some of these funds will be awarded to 2021 applicants, while the remainder will be for new applicants under the 2022 program.

Following, we will break down what’s available, how to apply and highlight some school safety solutions that can be purchased with the grant money.

Funding Available for Prior 2021 Applicants

If your school submitted a complete 2021 K-12 School Safety grant application but was not awarded a grant, you have the option to receive $50,000 or your 2021 grant requested amount, whichever is less. To find out if your school is eligible for the 2021 Applicant Program, check here: 2021 Applicant Eligibility List.

To receive a grant under the 2021 Applicant Program, your school or school district must do the following: 

Submit the award application through the Ohio Grants Partnership portal. Traditional K-12 school districts must submit a single application on behalf of schools in their district, while community schools and ESCs may apply directly for their own school.  
Commit to purchasing only items from the 2022 Authorized Equipment List (AEL). 
Provide all data elements necessary for federal reporting.

Review and attach a signed copy of the award Terms and Conditions.

Once your award application is submitted, your application will be reviewed to ensure that it is complete and that your submitted school information matches the 2021 application.

The application deadline is Monday, October 3, 2022, at 11:59 P.M.

Funding Available for 2022 Applicants

The remaining $53 million in grant funds is available to public school districts and chartered non-public schools that have not received grants under the $5 million 2021 program and who have not completed construction through an OFCC program within the past five years. The maximum award is $100,000 per school. Applicants for the 2022 program must have a completed 2022 Security and Vulnerability Assessment (SVA) as part of their application.  

To apply for a grant under the 2022 Program, your school or school district must do the following:

Submit the award application through the Ohio Grants Partnership portal.  Traditional K-12 school districts must submit a single application to apply on behalf of schools in their district, while non-district entities apply directly for their own school.  
Commit to purchase only items from the 2022 Authorized Equipment List (AEL). 
Provide all data elements necessary for federal reporting. 
Review and attach a signed copy of the award Terms and Conditions.

The application deadline is Monday, October 3, 2022, at 11:59 P.M.

Using the Money to Make Schools Safer

Following the Uvalde tragedy, there is an increased focus in Ohio and elsewhere on helping kids feel safer in schools and parents feel better about sending them there. A national report released by Safe and Sound Schools revealed that only 69% of students reported feeling safe compared to 87% of educators indicating there is more that needs to be done.

One authorized equipment specified that can be purchased with the Ohio grant money is “System Credentialing” which is defined as a software and associated hardware material for creating credential badges and controlling scene access. Raptor Visitor Management enables schools to have full control of who is allowed to access their campus. Every visitor, contractor, and volunteer are screened against sex offender and custom databases and upon approval, is provided a detailed badge.

Other authorized equipment would enable schools to act fast in emergency situations. Should an incident occur, there are obvious benefits to protecting schools with a multi-layered mass communication solution; one that could give any staff member the ability to expand the chain of events that occur with one push of a button.

An example of this would be the Raptor Panic Alert app which has been enabled for third-party integrations with companies like Alertus Technologies. This integration means schools can automatically send emergency notifications to all alerting modalities unified by the Alertus Technologies Mass Notification System. The Raptor app activates the Alertus audio and visual notifications to everyone inside and outside the building as well as text-to-speech PA and other IP-enabled devices, which are also eligible expenses.

To learn more about how to protect your schools using a multi-layered approach to mass notification, you can listen to the webinar or contact us to schedule a demo.