(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today awarded more than $42 million to support physical safety and security upgrades at hundreds of Ohio schools. 

A total of 624 schools will receive funding as part of the fifth round of Ohio's K-12 School Safety Grant Program. This new round of funding brings the total number of schools served by this program to 2,789 and the total amount of funding awarded to more than $215 million.

"Our educators care deeply about the safety of Ohio students, as evidenced by the thousands of schools that came forward with solid security improvement plans that they intend to carry out with this funding," said Governor DeWine. "There is nothing more important than the safety of our kids, and with today's announcement, every qualifying school that applied for a grant has now received at least one award, including schools in all 88 counties."

DETAILS: 624 Schools Receiving R5 School Safety Grant Funding

Governor DeWine partnered with the Ohio General Assembly to launch the K-12 School Safety Grant Program in 2021. The program was created to help schools pay for physical security expenses such as new security cameras, public address systems, automatic door locks, visitor badging systems, and exterior lighting. 

The Ohio Facilities Construction Commission administered the program in partnership with the Ohio School Safety Center.  The program was funded through Ohio's operating budget and with allocations from the American Rescue Plan Act.

MORE: Complete List of 2,789 Schools and Grant Amounts (R1-R5)

 Since taking office in 2019, Governor DeWine has led several initiatives to support school safety, including the creation of the Ohio School Safety Center, which works to assist local schools, colleges, universities, and law enforcement agencies to prevent, prepare for, and respond to threats and acts of violence, including self-harm, through a holistic, solutions-based approach to improving school safety.

Governor DeWine also created the Student Wellness and Success Fund, a $1.2 billion investment that is now a part of the school funding formula, to provide wraparound services to students. Wraparound services are programming and supports meant to build skills and fulfill a student or familial need. To date, this funding has launched 1,300 mental health programs and trained 6,500 educators and school professionals.