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Hampton City Schools receives over $247k school security equipment grant from the Virginia Department of Education


Hampton City Schools has received over $247,000 in state School Security Equipment Grants to protect students, faculty and visitors. The $12 million in grants from the Virginia Department of Education were awarded to 431 schools in 90 school divisions. 

 

“A safe learning environment is the number one priority of our school division, and Hampton City Schools has systems in place to address safety in each of our schools,” said James Bailey, HCS security supervisor. “The school security grant allows us to continue to upgrade technology software and equipment as well as add additional layers to our safety measures. The funds will be utilized for items such as video monitoring systems, voice and video internal communications systems, school bus interior cameras, mass notification systems, access control systems, two-way radios, hurricane or ballistic security window film, and other security upgrades.”

 

A local match of 25 percent is required of most divisions. Two school divisions with composite indices of local-ability-to-pay of less than 0.2 — Lee County and Scott County — are exempt from the local-match requirement.

 

The School Security Equipment Grants program was established by the 2013 General Assembly in the aftermath of the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut. In 2020, the General Assembly doubled the total annual appropriation for the program from $6 million to $12 million. The legislature also increased the maximum award per school division from $100,000 to $250,000.