Columbus, Ohio – On Wednesday, Governor Mike DeWine announced that the Ohio School Safety CenterĀ will award a total of $10 million in grants to fund security enhancements at K-12 public schools and institutions of higher education in Ohio.
āItās important that we work proactively to ensure that our school buildings and grounds are as safe as possible to protect both students and staff,ā said Governor DeWine. āTwo new grant programs offered through the Ohio School Safety Center will help schools and universities pinpoint any weaknesses in their physical security and make needed improvements and upgrades.ā
The 2021 Campus Safety Grant Program, which began accepting applications today, will award $5 million to qualifying public colleges and universities for improvements to physical security on their campuses. The 2021 K-12 Safety Grant Program, administered by the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC), will award an additional $5 million to qualifying public K-12 schools for similar school safety expenses.
Both grant programs were funded as part of Senate Bill 310 of the 133rd General Assembly.
Governor DeWine created the Ohio School Safety Center in 2019. It is housed in the Ohio Homeland Security Division of the Ohio Department of Public Safety and works to assist local schools 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.
