$4.8 million awarded for K-12 school safety and security upgrades

COLUMBUS — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine Thursday awarded $4.8 million in grants to nearly 100 Ohio schools to help them improve the overall safety and security of their buildings.

Ninety-eight schools in 27 counties will implement safety upgrades with funding from Ohio’s K-12 School Safety Grant Program. Governor DeWine launched the program through the Ohio School Safety Center to help local schools with costly safety upgrades to their buildings.

“I care deeply about every child in Ohio, and this will help ensure that more students are learning in an environment where they can feel safe and secure,” said DeWine. “Today’s kids are tomorrow’s leaders, and we applaud the school districts that are proactively looking for ways to protect both their students and staff.”

Funds will be used to cover expenses associated with physical security enhancements such as security cameras, public address systems, automatic door locks and visitor badging systems.