Maryland State Wire

ANNAPOLIS – Gov. Larry Hogan has announced that $6 million is available for local schools to enhance safety.

A press release made available on July 25 said the funds are destined to promote safety "through training, safety assessments, information sharing and more." The release also stated that "this round of grants will be the first $6 million out of a total of $37.6 million that will be made available on a rolling basis." 

Initial applications for the funding will be accepted on a "rolling basis," ending on Oct. 31. Per the release, the first recipients "will be determined at the Aug. 20 School Safety Subcabinet meeting," with the remaining funds being dispensed "in later rounds."

The grants are part of the Safe School Fund, created through the Maryland Safe to Learn Act of 2018, signed into law on April 10. Among the topics covered by the legislation, they include "increased funding for the Maryland Center for School Safety, the creation of aggressive statewide standards for school safety, requirements for the standardized training and certification for all school resource officers, and requirements for each school system to develop behavioral assessment teams to identify and provide interventions for students who may pose a threat to safety."

Funding will be used toward assessing the needs of the school systems, as required by the act. The first $2.5 million will be used on the safety assessments, and $3.5 million will destined to meet operational provisions placed by the legislation.

The provisions include "conducting training for students and local school personnel on de-escalation of situations and identifying and reporting behaviors of concern, conducting training of assessment teams, establishing formal and anonymous mechanisms for reporting safety concerns, and providing information to students and parents on traveling safely to and from schools," the release said.