BCPS Receives Three Grants to Support School Safety Under the STOP School Violence Act

Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) is proud to receive three recent grant awards from the U.S. Department of Justice. The combined total of the three grants is more than $1.3 million to support school-safety related programs across BCPS. The grants are authorized by the STOP School Violence Act and are intended to improve school security by reducing exposure to risks, preventing actions of violence, and recognizing and responding to violent acts.

The three grant awards support the District’s focus on school security measures Districtwide, as safety and security remain the District’s highest priorities. Details on each of the grants are listed below.

STOP School Violence – Prevention and Mental Health Training Program Grant Award: $500,000

Through this grant, BCPS is expanding its partnership with Sandy Hook Promise to provide its Know the Signs violence prevention programs Districtwide by providing targeted support to approximately 55 secondary schools in the District. This includes training sessions for approximately 700 teachers and school personnel aimed at preventing student violence and approximately 215 student education sessions and awareness events, quarterly training for parents, families and community members regarding violence prevention. Start with Hello and Say Something are two of the Sandy Hook Promise Know the Signs programs being implemented by the District.

STOP School Violence – Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program Grant Award: $379,346

Through this grant, BCPS will update training for school-based threat assessment teams, School Resource Officers (SROs) and school safety officers to conduct threat assessments, identify and report potential threats, and report data from threat assessments. In addition, improved safety and security policies, protocols and practices, and updated threat assessment training manuals and materials will increase the effectiveness of threat assessment teams.

U.S. Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) School Violence Prevention Program Grant Award: $465,994

Through this grant, which was submitted in collaboration with Broward County, the District will enhance school video surveillance systems with analytic cameras. These ‘smart’ cameras, in addition to recording video, can also recognize unusual activity and provide real-time alerts to those monitoring the cameras.

To learn more about these grants, visit www.bja.gov and www.cops.usdoj.gov.

ABOUT BROWARD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS “Committed to educating all students to reach their highest potential.”

Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) is the sixth-largest school district in the nation and the second-largest in the state of Florida. BCPS is Florida’s first fully accredited school system since 1962. BCPS has more than 271,500 students and approximately 175,000 adult students in 234 schools, centers and technical colleges, and 88 charter schools. BCPS serves a diverse student population, with students representing 204 different countries and 191 different languages. Connect with BCPS: visit the website at browardschools.com, follow BCPS on Twitter @browardschools and Facebook at facebook.com/browardschools, and download the free BCPS mobile app.

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