A historic feat, Gov. Holcomb announced $29.8 million in funds towards school safety
schoolsafety.gov As K-12 students return back to school, parents need to know there's safety measures implemented to keep their child safe.
On August 29, Governor Eric Holcomb announced $29.8 million in funds, a record-breaking investment, towards school safety in 474 schools.
Here's a breakdown of what some local school districts will receive:
- Elkhart Community Schools - $100,000.
- Goshen Community Schools - $100,000.
- Knox Community School Corporation - $70,660.45.
- LaPorte School Corporation - $77,061.00
- Penn-Harris Madison School Corporation - $97,067.00
- St. Joseph High School - $20,000
- School City Mishawaka - $100,000
- South Bend Community School Corporation - $15,000
For a full list, visit Indiana Department of Homeland Security.
"These school safety grants represent another example of historic investments in public safety," said Gov. Holcomb. "I am pleased we are able to financially support every school that identified safety as a top priority."
These funds are in accordance with House Bill 1492, requiring that by December 31, 2023, counties must establish a county school safety commission.
Funds allocated will support hardware, student/parent support services, firearms training for staff (to seven applicants for $101,979) and bullying prevention among others.
No funding is allocated towards post incident counseling services.
On a national level, the Biden-Harris Administration launched SchoolSafety.gov to launch awareness and to build school safety strategies, including establishing positive school environments free of cyber bullying or violence.
"The Department of Education and our partners across the Biden-Harris Administration want every school's back-to-school season to be one of joy, possibility and safety," said U.S. Secretary Miguel Cardona.
The White House released a statement regarding cyberbullying in response to at least eight K-12 schools impacted by cyberattacks in the 2022-23 school year.
The Administration will take the following actions:
- Provide up to $200 million over three years to strengthen cyber defenses
- The U.S. Department of Education will establish a Government Coordinating Council (GCC) to support districts in preparing for, responding to and recovering from cybersecurity attacks.
- They released K-12 Infrastructure Brief, a series of guided documents for educators, ensuring that resilient technology meets the needs of the student
- The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) will conduct 12 K-12 cyber exercises per year
- The FBI and National Guard will release resource guides