OKLAHOMA CITY – State officials say millions of dollars of federal grants will now go to bolster safety and security in public schools across Oklahoma.
On Wednesday, Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister announced that the Oklahoma State Department of Education received two federal grants totaling $4 million to improve safety and security in public schools.
The Oklahoma School Emergency Management grant will fund a state-level team of three full-time school safety and security staff to address school safety and security, provide statewide emergency training and help schools develop partnerships with law enforcement.
“Ensuring the safety of our students and schools is of paramount importance,” said Hofmeister. “Oklahoma is committed to providing families and schools with effective and appropriate tools to proactively address the safety and security of our children. We are grateful to have secured funding that will enable us to achieve that goal.”
The grant will also add text messaging functionality to a 24-hour tip line for parents, students and community members to report potential acts of violence in Oklahoma schools.
Also, the U.S. Department of Justice awarded $250,000 over three years to create an Oklahoma threat violence assessment curriculum and provide training to Lawton Public Schools, Geronimo Public School and Cache Public Schools.
The program will include training for teachers, families and students on how to detect and prevent school violence. Upon completion of the project, the Oklahoma School Security Institute will provide training to all school districts in the state upon request.