INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Secured School Safety Board approved $24 million in safety funding for hundreds of schools across Indiana.
The board voted unanimously to split that money across 499 schools/districts through the Secured School Safety Grant Program, according to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.
Of that money, $16 million will go toward school resource officers at 308 schools, and $5 million will go toward security equipment and technology at 140 schools.
$3.8 million of the money will be split between 62 different schools and districts in Marion County.
In total, this grant will fund 506 projects across the state. Some of the other projects include firearms training for school staff, assessing campuses for vulnerabilities and student-parent support services.
Here are the schools getting grants. You can search to find your school:
"Since this program began, the focus has been on listening to the needs of school districts, while partnering with them to invest in the safety of Hoosier schools," Gov. Eric Holcomb said. "Indiana continues to be a leader in school safety resources made available. With the help of the General Assembly, Indiana continues to step up to support students and staff."
To date, $187 million in state funding has been dedicated to the matching grant program since it was created in 2013.
State officials said the amount of funding dedicated to the program for 2025-26 will be determined in the next legislative session.
Inside Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, Vice President of Campus Operations JD Ferries-Rowe said this is not the first year the school has received this funding.
"We don't like to think about the worst possible cases, but we have to think about the worst possible cases," Ferries-Rowe said.
So far, the school has used the Secured School Safety Grant to update the school's sign-in system, install bullet-resistant film on some entrances, install gates within the school and upgrade cameras across campus.
With the latest round of allocations, Brebeuf will receive $81,000, which Ferries-Rowe said will be used to improve the building's communications system.
"At a fundamental level, the safety and security of our students gives them peace of mind, improves education and lowers the stress level of our students," Ferries-Rowe said. "Every second counts. Every little bit that you can do to make sure that we make an alert quickly and get everybody locked down."
Across town, Bishop Chatard High School plans to use its $81,000 to pay for a school resource officer, improve safety equipment and increase security at school events.
"We are so grateful that all of our schools are included in this and that it makes such an impact," Bishop Chatard President Bill Sahm said.
Dr. Laura Hammack, the superintendent of Beech Grove City Schools, said her staff will use $81,000 to pay for one school resource officer.
"We are super grateful," Hammack said. "We are now up to four SROs that are in place across the district."
A spokesperson for MSD of Lawrence Township told 13News, "We will be using these dollars to support cost of four floating officers that we have in the district during the day."
Cathedral High School shared the following statement regarding its most recent $37,000 award:
"The Secured School Safety Grant ensures we can continue to employ our School Resource Officer. Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our students, educators, and families, and we are grateful for the services provided by our School Resource Officer."
Similarly, the MSD of Pike Township plans to use its $81,000 to pay for the salaries and benefits of three school resource officers, according to a township spokesperson.