Schools, police agencies get millions to up security
In an effort to bolster security on campus, South Florida school districts and police are getting nearly $3.5 million in federal money.
The award is part of an $85.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice intended to make schools safer nationwide, the agency announced on Monday.
The Broward School District — home to the Parkland school where 17 students and staff were killed on Feb. 14 last year — was awarded $1.5 million.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office, which provides school resource officers to several schools in the region, was awarded $500,000.
The Palm Beach County School District is in line to collect $500,000, and the MiamiDade County School District will get $979,700.
“These federal resources will help to prevent school violence and give our students the support they need to learn, grow and thrive,” Attorney General William P. Barr said in a news release. “By training faculty, students and first responders, and by improving school security measures, we can make schools and their communities safer.”
It was unclear Monday just how the school districts plan to spend the money.
In general, it will go toward educating and training students and faculty and supporting police and medics who respond to a school shooting or other violent incident.
Broward’s school district was awarded $1 million as part of the STOP School Violence Technology and Threat Assessment Solutions for Safer Schools Program. The program provided school administrators, staff, students and first responders with the ability to use anonymous reporting technology, threat assessments and crisis intervention teams.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office is getting $500,000 from the same program.
Palm Beach and MiamiDade’s school districts were each
awarded $500,000 as part of the STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program. That program provides training to school personnel and students to help spot and prevent a mental health crisis before someone resorts to violence on school grounds. The training addresses bullying, addiction and interpersonal violence.
Broward Schools will get $500,000 and MiamiDade County’s school police force will get $479,700 from the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
The money will help pay for metal detectors, locks and lighting; help train police to prevent student violence against others and themselves; and be used for technology to expedite the notification of local law enforcement during an emergency.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services manage the programs and administer the grants.
The grant allocates money for the following:
■ Develop school threat assessment teams and pursue technological solutions to improve reporting of suspicious activity in and around schools
■ Implement or improve school safety measures, including coordination with law enforcement, as well as the use of metal detectors, locks, lighting and other deterrent measures;
■ Train law enforcement to help deter student violence against others and themselves;
■ Improve notification to first responders through technology that expedites emergency notifications;
■ Develop and operate anonymous reporting systems to encourage safe reporting of potential school threats;
■ Train school officials to intervene when mentally ill individuals threaten school safety; and
■ Provide training and technical assistance to schools in helping to get these programs underway.