Utah schools now eligible for safety grant

SALT LAKE CITY —  Utah’s schools can now apply for a grant to help them make their buildings safer. The money comes from H.B. 61, a bill the legislature recently passed this bill to address school safety and security issues.

According to the Utah State Board of Education, the bill allocates $72 million in funding to “enhance basic physical safety and security in Utah schools.”

Utah State Board of Education School Safety Specialist Rhett Larsen met with Utah’s School Safety Task Force last week. The group consisted of lawmakers, law enforcement and health professionals.

Larsen told them there are some schools in this state that have some work to do to ensure their school is safe. 

“There are schools in our state that don’t have working intercoms. There are schools that don’t have locks on interior doors or locks that work on interior doors,” said Larsen.

Though any school can apply, there are some stipulations to getting the funds. 

“Each school needs to complete a building safety assessment,” said Larsen. “Each school needs to have designated their school safety specialist, and then funding will be prioritized towards schools with lower student count.”

Schools can apply for the grants at the State Board’s website. Applications are due Sept. 15.

Related reading:

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