Is Safety a Priority for Your School?
When you think about children and schools, what is your first image? Is it learning and success? Is it safety and security? Or is it something else?
In recent years, the National Center for Education Statistics has reported that up to 67 percent of schools in America reported at least one violent incident per year. That’s well over half of all schools in America. Most students will witness at least one violent incident at school this school year. While the majority of those incidents will not involve shooting, sadly some will.
With this reality, schools must always prioritize safety for their faculty, staff, and students. But a simple safety plan is not enough. Schools must build funds for safety into their annual budgets.
Does Your School District Have a Safety Budget?
Planning for safety begins before each school year starts. It must begin with school boards and parent committees who plan in advance to budget for safety needs in a school. Many school budgets are set more than a year in advance. So early planning is key. Have you discussed budget allocations for safety within your community? Is it a topic of conversation in school board meetings and community forums? If not, earlier planning is always better.
What Should Be Included in a School Safety Budget?
As your school board begins planning for budget allocations, certain questions should be considered. Below are some questions to start the process.
– Do your schools have a School Resource Officer in place? If not, are there plans or allocations to make that an option?
– Does your district have a Director of Safety to oversee decisions and planning? If not, see more about Brian Hunt’s work in this area to plan to allocate funds and hire this position.
– What emergency plans are in place for each school? Is there regular training for staff about safety plans?
– Do your schools have an Emergency Alert App such as SchoolGuard available for all staff and faculty?
How Can Schools Supplement Funds for a Safety Budget?
Many school districts allocate funds from their existing budgets to plan for all safety issues. But what if your school district does not have sufficient funds for all safety needs?
The United States Department of Justice provides grants of up to $500,000 for school safety through the COPS School Violence Protection Program. Schools can apply for grants each year, with deadlines normally appearing in spring or early summer. You may want to keep an eye on the COPS Grant page for more information as deadlines and application processes are announced.
If you would like more information or to learn more about how to plan your school safety budget Contact us so we can partner to protect your schools. Together we can save lives!
