FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: MOLLY GORMLEY
September 26, 2018 615-741-8760
(NASHVILLE) – Today Senator Kerry Roberts (R-Springfield) announced over $1.2 million in state grants for school districts he represents to improve school safety and security. These grants include $357,888 in Safe School grants, which are recurring funds and $878,822 in School Safety and Security grants, which are one-time funds. The General Assembly included $35 million in the 2018/2019 state budget for school safety, which Roberts supported, following recommendations from Governor Haslam’s School Safety Working Group.
“I am very pleased that this funding has been approved and was pleased to support it in the General Assembly,” said Senator Roberts. “There is nothing more important than the safety of our students. These grants help tremendously to address needs identified through the school security assessments. It is also important that these assessments are ongoing so that we continually reevaluate and address any future risks. This will help make a huge difference in how we approach school safety in Tennessee moving forward.”
In order to apply for grant funding, local school officials partnered with the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, the Department of Education, and local law enforcement to complete safety assessments for school facilities and safety procedures. This was the first time the state led a comprehensive effort to determine the security needs at individual schools. Based on the findings following this assessment, all school districts were eligible to apply for two grants to receive funding for local safety and security needs.
The grants for Senate District 25:
Cheatham County is receiving $74,540 in recurring funds and $170,470 in non-recurring funds to address access control, emergency planning, and training as areas of need;
Dickson County is receiving $85,430 in recurring funds and $213,570 in non-recurring funds to address access control, surveillance, and communication as areas of need;
Hickman County in receiving $44,780 in recurring funds and $111,940 in vehicle control, access control, and surveillance as areas of need;
Humphreys County is receiving $29,360 in recurring funds and $73,410 in non-recurring funds to address signage, access control, and surveillance as areas of need; and
Robertson County is to receive $123,770 in recurring funds and $309,440 in non-recurring funds to address School Resource Officers as an area of need.
Additionally, as a result of the working group recommendations, the Department of Safety and Homeland Security is working to secure a developer to complete a statewide school safety mobile application. The application will be designed for use by students, faculty and staff to anonymously report concerning or suspicious behavior to local law enforcement and school officials.
“I appreciate the work of local officials to secure these funds,” added Roberts.
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