[T]he state has awarded 239 Vermont schools safety grants totalling $4 million.
The money will help pay for 560 separate projects, Gov. Phil Scott’s office announced Wednesday, and fund upgrades including new interior and outdoor door locks and new public address systems.
The grants were proposed by Scott and passed by the Legislature after a Poultney teenager, Jack Sawyer, confessed to police he had planned a mass shooting at Fair Haven Union High. The scuttled plot was uncovered just days after one of the deadliest school shootings in the country’s history in Parkland, Fla.
Schools were eligible for up to $25,000 and the average grant amount was $16,000, according to the governor’s office. Schools must provide a 25 percent match in order to receive the grants.
More than 250 schools applied for the grant dollars. The applications were reviewed by a 12-member working group make up of school administrators, emergency responders, and state representatives.
The money will be disbursed to schools before the fall.
“Getting these projects started quickly will help students, staff and administrators focus on learning,” Scott said in a prepared statement. “Looking ahead, we will continue to do all we can to enhance the safety of our schools for our children, parents, faculty and the community.”
An additional $1 million from a Homeland Security grant program will be available this fall to help fund the development of emergency plans, training, and safety exercises in schools.
In July, Vermont Emergency Management and the Vermont School Safety Center hosted a series of crisis communications trainings. More than 100 administrators and staff from around the state took part. Additional training courses are planned this year.