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LINCOLN — The Nebraska Department of Education has distributed $10 million to about half of the state’s public school districts and a few dozen private schools to improve school safety and security infrastructure.
The funds were divided among 122 public districts and 43 private schools, including Randolph Public Schools, for projects to strengthen doors and windows or install cameras and lighting. State lawmakers approved the proposal as part of Legislative Bill 705, which passed 47-0 in 2023 as a large package of legislation from the Legislature’s Education Committee.
Randolph Public Schools was awarded $16,000. That money was used to replace exterior doors - one set of double doors at the elementary school and one set of double doors at the high school, said Superintendent Daryl Schrunk.
Devices installed in the door frames allow for it to temporarily unlock, deterring unauthorized access. The new doors were integrated into the school’s security system which controls when the doors are locked and can be accessed by a secure key fob, he said.
Schrunk said the school will target funding for surveillance equipment such as cameras when the next round of funding becomes available, as well as upgraded exterior lighting for both school buildings.
For the legislative package, Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont and other legislators included recommendations from the state’s School Safety Task Force that formed after the May 24, 2022, shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Nineteen children and two teachers were killed.
It was the deadliest school shooting since 20 children and six adults were killed in 2012, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Sandy Hook is the deadliest K-12 school shooting in the country’s history.
Walz, a former teacher and former Education Committee chair, called for the task force two days after the Uvalde shooting. Members represented law enforcement, city leaders, public and private school educators and parents.
“It is great to see that this legislation is going to be able to improve security measures in so many schools throughout our state, and protect students and teachers in schools,” Walz told the Nebraska Examiner. “The safety of our students is a bipartisan priority and something I am proud to have championed during my time in the Legislature.”
State Sen. Jana Hughes, a former Seward school board member, said she was “pumped” that so many schools got grant funds, including in her legislative district.
The Nebraska Department of Education began soliciting grant applications in February and reviewed applications for a variety of factors, including: needs, objectives, assessment and implementation of the requests; stakeholder engagement; a district’s poverty percentage; evidence-based programs; and allowable uses of grant funds.
The department received a total of 217 applicants: 162 public districts and 55 private schools, through local Educational Service Units. Requests totaled $60.4 million.
An evaluation committee that included department administrators, school safety team members, mental health personnel, program coordinators, former superintendents and principals initially recommended awarding $16.4 million in funds. This was pared back to the $10 million limit.
Funding projects that dealt with “prevention” were prioritized over those dealing with preparedness, response and recovery, which are four pillars of school safety, according to the Education Department.
Grant funds will be used for audio/communication systems, bollards, cameras, controlled access systems, door locks, fencing, front office/vestibule builds or remodels, glass/safety film to tint or strengthen windows, key fobs, lighting, phone systems, replacing or strengthening doors, “Stop the Bleed” kits and walkie talkies.
Locked classroom doors were a key best practice outlined in the Sandy Hook Advisory Commission report.
The majority of funds were awarded to projects dealing with doors, locks, vestibules/ entryways and access systems.
About 50 districts or schools that applied did not receive funds because school leaders didn’t correctly complete the application process, the application scored low on an evaluation rubric or the request wasn’t covered under the grant.
Randolph Public Schools was the only county school receiving funds.
The minimum grant amount was $2,000. About 10 districts or schools refused the funds because they didn’t fully fund their planned projects.
Nearly 200,000 students will be served through the grants in public and private schools.
Just over 140,000 students are covered in about a dozen urban districts, while 92 percent of schools for the remaining students are in geographic rural areas across the state.
Public school districts received about 89 percent of the funds, or $8.9 million. Funds must be obligated by Aug. 15.
The Nebraska Examiner contributed to this story.
