'Security Action For Education' Grants Now Available For NH Schools

CONCORD, NH — In an effort to make schools in the state of New Hampshire even safer than they already are, a new wave of grants are being offered to schools during the next two months.

Both public and nonpublic schools can begin applying for Security Action For Education grants, in increments of up to $100,000, from a pool of about $13.3 million. Public schools can apply before July 22 for the first wave of grants, about $3.3 million, in an early decision process. After that, another $10 million will be available for schools not accepted in the first allotment as well as nonpublic schools. That deadline is Aug. 26.

The state is using the same structure as is used for public school infrastructure grants, Frank Edelblut, the commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Education, said. Grants will be awarded, he added, based on three major security risks and corresponding safety priorities for schools — surveillance, access control, and emergency alerting.

“School security is at the forefront of everyone’s mind,” he said. “Offering this new pool of funding for the implementation of crucial school security projects underscores the ongoing commitment to help ensure the security of New Hampshire children.”

Jennifer Harper, director of the New Hampshire Department of Safety’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said the grants would “be able to put important safety initiatives into place to ensure that the children and staff members remain safe.” She said “the quick implementation of a process to award these grants” were also a “top priority.”

Districts may submit more than one grant for each school project. Funding for the grants is coming from the American Rescue Plan Act State Fiscal Recovery Fund, through the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery.

The application to apply is linked here.

School shootings in the state are rare despite guns being allowed in schools. There have only been a handful of school shootings during the past four decades, according to published reports. But threats against schools not involving guns happen all the time — including bomb threats, fake social media pranks, and other issues.

Many New Hampshire schools are locked down during school hours and require guests to be buzzed in. Officials have said, in the past, that most of the recent school safety measures in the state were implemented in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, in 2001. At the same time, not every school has safety and security measures in place or has the funds to be able to upgrade preparedness and safety.

Editor's note: I was director of communications for the New Hampshire Department of Education between April 13, 2018, and April 16, 2019.

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