Virginia committing $16.4 million to improve safety, security in K-12 public schools

Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced on Thursday the rollout of the Stronger Connections grant program, which will prioritize school divisions where students are at increased risk of violence and chronic absenteeism and with high student-to-staff ratios for counselors, psychologists and social workers.

The criteria for awarding the $16.4 million in grants that will be available prioritize rural schools and schools with a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students.

“We know students learn best when they feel safe in their classrooms, and when teachers are able to focus on the academic needs and wellbeing of their students,” Youngkin said. “While Virginia has long been a leader in school safety with regular threat assessments and security audits and annual state grants for school security equipment, the events of the school year now coming to a close remind us that we need to do more to protect our students and the educators to work everyday to prepare them for success.”

The grant program will help local school divisions purchase advanced security equipment and systems that reduce vulnerability to attacks in K-12 schools, provide threat detection technology, and improve communication during emergencies.

Grant funds may also be used for the analysis of threat assessment data and funding for school resource and school security officers in schools where none are currently assigned.

“Schools have diverse needs, and the Stronger Connections grant program supports a wide array of strategies and tactics, from ‘hardening the target’ through the installation of updated security and surveillance systems to comprehensive planning to develop division-wide approaches for assessing threats and improving learning climates,” Secretary of Education Aimee Rogstad Guidera said.

The Virginia Department of Education will make the Stronger Connections grant application available to school divisions on June 1 on the VDOE website. School divisions will have until Aug. 1 to apply, and VDOE will announce the awards in the fall.

More information on the Stronger Connections grant program is available on the VDOE website.