Twenty schools in Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Stafford and Caroline are among 434 instructional facilities statewide awarded School Security Equipment Grants from Governor Terry McAuliffe this month. The local schools received $303,890 of the $6 million awarded statewide.
The money will pay for video monitoring systems, metal detectors, electronic-access controls, visitor-identification systems, direct communications links between schools and law enforcement agencies, and other security upgrades.
Fredericksburg — $32,000 for Walker-Grant Middle
Spotsylvania County — $81,979 for 13 schools: Battlefield Middle, Chancellor High, Chancellor Middle, Courtland High, Freedom Middle, Massaponax High, Ni River Middle, Post Oak Middle, Riverbend High, Spotsylvania Career and Technical Center, Spotsylvania High, Spotsylvania Middle and Thornburg Middle.
Stafford County — $89,911 for four schools: Brooke Point High, Colonial Forge High, Mountain View High and North Stafford High.
Caroline County — $100,000 for two schools: Lewis and Clark Elementary and Madison Elementary
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. The grant criteria prioritizes schools most in need of modern security equipment, schools with relatively high numbers of offenses, and schools in divisions least able to afford security upgrades.
This fourth round of awards brings the total number of school security projects receiving state funding through the program to 1,782, according to the Virginia Department of Education.
The complete list is available online.
