IndianaSchool Safety Standards

School Safety Legislation & Resources

School Safety Recommendations

In March 2018, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb issued a letter commending the state for its leadership in school safety initiatives. He requested an additional $5 million be allocated to the Secured School Fund to support safety initiatives and directed the executive director of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security and the director of School Building Physical Security & Safety for the Indiana Department of Education to lead a group of experts in establishing recommendations that would address the unique threats facing schools today. The complete recommendations were delivered to the governor on Aug. 1, 2018.

Over the course of more than four months, several key focus areas to enhance school security were identified through the efforts of the working group. Indiana must address gaps in areas that go beyond hardening our buildings and training to respond to incidents. An increased emphasis on enhanced and expanded mental health services as well as the adoption of equipment and technology impacting school safety is needed. In addition, it is recommended that policy makers re-evaluate the scope of eligible projects and the funding formula for the Secured School Fund.

Finally, it is clear that multiple agencies and groups collect data on trends, threats, and student behavior, but that information is rarely shared with all the stakeholders with an interest in student well-being. The recommendations set forth in the report will help Indiana take school security to the next level and further establish the state as a national standard when it comes to protecting children. Learn more here.

Secured School Safety Grant Program

Since being signed into law in 2013, the Indiana Secured School Safety Grant (SSSG) Program has served as a critical resource to ensure Hoosier schools are safe and secure. The program has awarded about $133 million in matching grants to Indiana school districts across the state to address potential safety threats and help them prepare.

The program supports a dedicated state grant fund that provides matching grants to school corporations, accredited non-public schools, charter schools or a coalition of school corporations and/or charter schools applying jointly to:

• Employ a school resource officer;
• Conduct a threat assessment; and/or
• Purchase equipment to restrict access to the school or expedite the notification of first responders;
• Support firearms training in districts that choose to implement such programs (new for FY20);
• Support the implementation of a student and parent support services program (new for FY20);
• Fund the one-time startup costs of an active alert warning system (new for FY 20)

The budget passed during the 2019 General Assembly session allocated $19 million to the SSSG program for school grants and administrative costs. Learn more about the grant here.

Indiana Common School Fund

If your school was previously approved for a matching grant from the Indiana Secured School Fund (established at Ind. Code 10-21-1-2) and you would like to apply for an advance from the Indiana Common School Fund, please apply here.

Pursuant to HEA 1230 and Ind. Code 20-49-10-5(a), advances may be used to purchase equipment or make capital improvements needed to:

1. Restrict access to schools;
2. Expedite the notification of first responders; or
3. Improve school security.

The maximum amount of an advance that a school corporation or charter school may receive under this chapter is the lesser of:

1. Five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000); or
2. The amount needed to cover costs approved by the Secured School Safety Board that are in excess of the amount awarded by the Secured School Safety Board under Ind. Code 10-21-1-4 and the amount committed as a match by the school corporation or charter school (or coalition of public schools filing jointly) that applied for the grant under Ind. Code 10-21-1-5.

Private schools are not eligible to request an advance from the Common School Fund.

Requests for an advance will be reviewed by the Secured School Safety Board within thirty (30) days after receipt and sent to the State Board of Education with a funding recommendation.

Final funding determinations will be made by the State Board of Education. Learn more about the fund here.

Indiana Secured School Safety Board

The Indiana Secured School Safety Board was established to approve or disapprove applications for matching grants through the Secured School Safety Grant Program. Per IC 10-21-1-3, the board shall establish criteria to be used in evaluating applications for matching grants from the fund. These criteria must be consistent with the fund’s goals, and provide for an equitable distribution of grants to school corporations and charter schools located throughout Indiana. Learn more about the board here.

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