(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio
Governor Mike DeWine announced today that the state will support the
installation of security upgrades at more than 700 K-12 schools
across Ohio.
A total of 708 schools in 57 counties will receive $57.8 million in
grant funding to enhance student and staff safety. Governor DeWine
is awarding the funds as part of his K-12 School Safety Grant
Program, which helps schools with physical security expenses, such
as new security cameras, public address systems, automatic door
locks, visitor badging systems, and exterior lighting.
"We are being proactive in keeping our schools safe in Ohio. Student
and staff safety is paramount,” said Governor DeWine. “These safety
grants are helping schools create environments that are secure and
welcoming for teachers and their students."
Map of Grants
MORE: Full List of 708 Schools Approved for Grant Funding
Today's announcement represents the third round of grants awarded as
part of the Ohio K-12 School Safety Grant Program. In the first
round, $5 million in state funding was awarded to 95 schools in 27
counties. Governor DeWine then partnered with the Ohio General
Assembly to increase funding for the program by an additional $100
million, and he announced the availability of the second round of
funding in August, totaling $42.2 million for 1,065 schools.
The remaining $57.8 million in grants announced today are being
awarded through a competitive process to public school districts and
chartered non-public schools, with a maximum award of $100,000 per
school. The grant program is administered by the Ohio Facilities
Construction Commission in partnership with the Ohio School Safety
Center.
“School safety plays a crucial role in the academic success of
students,” said Cheryl J. Lyman, executive director of the Ohio
Facilities Construction Commission. “Students who do not feel safe
at school cannot learn to their fullest potential.”
Governor DeWine created the Ohio School Safety Center in 2019 to
assist local schools, colleges and universities, and law enforcement
agencies to prevent, prepare for, and respond to threats and acts of
violence, including self-harm, through a holistic, solutions-based
approach to improving school safety.
Governor DeWine has also worked to protect school students and staff
through additional violent crime reduction strategies and enhanced
mental health services, including:
Enhancing School Security
Governor DeWine worked with the Ohio General Assembly to create the
Ohio Campus Safety Grant Program for institutions of higher
education and the Ohio Safety and Security Grant Program for
chartered nonpublic schools, licensed preschools, nonprofit
organizations, and religious institutions.
Governor DeWine created the Ohio School Safety Working Group
consisting of experts in the fields of public safety, education,
mental health, emergency management, and others. The group meets
quarterly to discuss school safety issues, trends, and local needs.
Encouraging Student Wellness
Governor DeWine created the Student Wellness and Success Fund, a
$1.2 billion investment that is now a part of the school funding
formula, to provide wraparound services to students. Wraparound
services are programming and supports meant to build skills and
fulfill a student or familial need. To date, this funding has
launched 1,300 mental health programs and trained 6,500 educators
and school professionals.
After hearing about the need for more accessible mental health
services for students on college campuses, Governor DeWine led the
nation with a $13.5 million investment to expand mental health
services for higher education students.
Strengthening Ohio’s Mental Health Workforce
As part of his Wellness Workforce Initiative, Governor DeWine
announced a plan to invest $85 million, with the help of the General
Assembly, to expand Ohio’s behavioral health workforce to meet the
need.
Reducing Violent Crime
Governor DeWine worked with the Ohio General Assembly to invest $250
million in Ohio’s law enforcement agencies and first responders.
Governor DeWine created the Ohio Ballistics Testing Initiative to
double the number of National Integrated Ballistic Information
Network units in Ohio to help law enforcement identify criminals
responsible for deadly shootings and other incidents of gun violence
in Ohio.
Governor DeWine created the Ohio Crime Lab Efficiency Program to
eliminate backlogs in the testing of criminal evidence at Ohio’s
certified crime labs across the state with the goal of returning
evidence test results back to law enforcement faster.
Governor DeWine created the Ohio Violent Crime Reduction Grant
Program to provide funding to local law enforcement agencies to help
them implement new violent crime reduction strategies in their
communities.
Governor DeWine directed the Ohio State Highway Patrol to assist
local law enforcement with “surge operations” designed to interdict
gun violence and repossess stolen or illegally possessed guns.
Governor DeWine created the eWarrant system, a statewide criminal
justice database to improve the accuracy of state and federal
background checks and streamline the process to file warrants and
protection orders in Ohio.
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