$19M given to Indiana school resource officers; only $13,000 for bullying prevention programs

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INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indiana Secured School Safety Board announced how they will distribute $27 million to school safety initiatives across the state, and increase of $3 million compared to the 2023-2025 school year.

The vast majority of the money will be going to school resource officers (SROs); twice as much will be going to firearms training for staff than the single bullying prevention program in the state which was awarded money. No funds were given to post-incident counseling services.

“School safety is a top priority for my administration. Every student deserves a good education, and that starts with feeling safe and secure,” Gov. Mike Braun wrote in a press release.

The Secured School Safety Grant Program (SSSG), run by the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, had more requests for funding than what was available in the budget this year. First-time applicant schools were given priority and charter school groups were capped at $100,000.

In total, a group of 328 projects relating to SROs and law enforcement officers was given over $19.6 million. $5.5 million was split between 126 projects for new school safety equipment: such as devices that restrict access to classrooms, expand threat detection, and help emergency communication inside schools. Weapons training for staff, allocated to 7 projects, was given $32,000. Two projects for site vulnerability assessment got just under $6,500.

Indiana gave $13,700 to one program for bullying prevention. However, $1.3 million was given to student and parent support services.

Once an SSSG grant has been issued, schools can match the funds by either 25, 50, or 100%. The matching requirement is based on the average daily membership of the school district.

Grant funding

SRO/LEO | 328 projects – $19,608,873.18.
Equipment/Tech/Hardware | 126 projects – $5,579,308.18.
Student/Parent Support Services | 31 projects – $1,368,668.38.
Firearms Training for Staff | 7 projects – $32,116.
Design and Construction | 5 projects – $263,498.03.
Site Vulnerability Assessment | 2 projects – $6,475.
AEWS (no matching requirement) | 2 projects – $87,227.50.
Bullying Prevention | 1 project – $13,714. 98.
Training Expenditures | No projects, no money.
Post-Incident Counseling Services | No projects, no money.