According to WFYI Indianapolis, Indiana is set to allocate nearly $30 million this year to educational institutions. Two-thirds of this funding will be directed towards law enforcement and the hiring of school resource officers, announced Governor Eric Holcomb on Tuesday.

This decision comes in response to an increased allocation from the Indiana Department of Homeland Security. Holcomb expressed his satisfaction with the approval of all Secured School Safety Grant applications this year, underlining the state’s commitment to public safety.

“These school safety grants represent another example of historic investments in public safety,” Holcomb stated in a press release. “I am pleased we are able to financially support every school that identified safety as a top priority.”

The grant program offers matching funds, with a maximum limit of $100,000, enabling schools to invest in a variety of safety-enhancing initiatives. These initiatives encompass hiring security personnel, procuring safety equipment and technology, expanding parent and student support services, conducting site vulnerability assessments, and more.

In the current year, over 450 schools have submitted approximately 600 safety projects. The largest share of this funding, exceeding $19 million, is earmarked for school resource officers (SROs) and law enforcement officers (LEOs). 

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security mandates that SROs must receive proper training and be employed or appointed by a law enforcement agency to qualify for Secured School Safety Grant funding.

In addition to personnel, schools have sought more than $8 million in funding for safety equipment, technology, and hardware, further illustrating the commitment to modernizing security measures.

The two lowest funded categories include bullying prevention and post-incident counseling services. Only two schools have submitted projects related to bullying prevention, totaling $17,000, and no institutions have requested funding for post-incident counseling services.

Furthermore, seven schools have requisitioned almost $102,000 for firearm training for their staff. This request aligns with a recent legislative change that permits the use of Indiana’s secured school fund to provide firearm training to select teachers and school employees.

Joel Thacker, Executive Director of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, emphasized the program’s responsiveness to schools’ safety needs. “Since the inception of the Secured Schools Safety Grant program, we have listened to schools across the state about what they see as their greatest needs in the way of safety,”

Thacker noted in a press release. “As a result, this year we can offer more eligible funding categories than ever before, leading to safer schools and an overall better learning environment.”

Governor Holcomb has also signaled his intention to incrementally increase Secured School Safety Grant funding by $25 million each year.