Round II of school safety grants awarded; Jackson receives maximum funding

This article is updated and expanded to note additional schools.

Jackson School District will receive a $300,000 school safety grant as part of a $50 million second round of funding announced Friday, Sept. 29, by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

A total of 566 schools across the state will receive grants, with Jackson and Poplar Bluff schools among 14 Missouri districts receiving the maximum $300,000 allotment.

Gov. Mike Parson signed House Bill 2 on June 30 to provide money from the state's fiscal year 2024 budget to public, charter schools and non-public schools to receive money to implement physical safety upgrades.

Upgrades, according to a DESE release, may include door locks and monitoring systems; bleeding control kits; and automatic external defibrillators.

The money represents the state General Assembly's response to numerous school shooting incidents in recent years.

Grants were competitive and schools were required to submit an application.

Other Cape Girardeau County school awards

• Cape Girardeau: $60,500;
• Notre Dame Regional: $50,000;
• Oak Ridge: $50,000;
• Nell Holcomb: $50,000;
• St. Vincent, Cape Girardeau: $50,000;
• St. Mary's, Cape Girardeau: $50,000;
• St. Paul Lutheran, Jackson: $50,000;
• Delta: $50,000.

Other area awardees

• Perry County: $199,959;
• Dexter: $150,000;
• Scott City: $100,000;
• Malden: $100,000;
• Puxico: $100,000;
• Charleston: $100,000;
• Scott County Central: $50,000;
• Oran: $50,000;
• Advance: $50,000;
• Altenburg: $50,000;
• Bell City: $50,000;
• Kelso: $50,000;
• Marquand-Zion: $50,000;
• St. Joseph, Scott City: $38,000;
• Guardian Angel, Oran: $33,150;
• Meadow Heights: $18,407;
• St. Ambrose, Chaffee: $375.

"Improving the safety and security of our schools is an issue we can all support and these grants help ensure our schools remain safe environments for Missouri children to learn," Parson said. "While threats of violence are something we never want to see in our classrooms, we must be prepared and have proper resources and response plans in place."

First Round

Lawmakers approved a $20 million initial round of school safety grants intended for 169 mainly rural districts earlier this year from the fiscal year 2023 budget.

Among the area districts informed April 28 of their successful grant applications were Leopold, Zalma and Woodland districts in Bollinger County; and Chaffee in Scott County.