CFDA#
None
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Funder Type
State Government
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IT Classification
B - Readily funds technology as part of an award
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Authority
Georgia Department of Education (GADOE)
Summary
The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022 (BSCA) provided Stronger Connections Grant funds to the United States Department of Education (USED) in September 2022. USED then allocated funds to every State Education Agency (SEA) to create its own unique grant programs.
The Safer Georgia Schools Grant is intended to support the health and safety of students in Georgia through funding for programs and activities, equipment, and supplies to improve infrastructure, professional development, and personnel at Georgia local education agencies (LEAs). This funding has been provided under Title IV, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
Round 3 grants for 2024-2025 will focus on providing funds for cybersecurity solutions and training.
History of Funding
Round 1 awards can be seen at https://lor2.gadoe.org/gadoe/file/dd36922b-c5e2-43d6-9836-64489bbd8301/1/0823%20WCS%20Safer%20Georgia%20Schools%20Round%201%20Grants%20Allocations.pdf.
Round 2 awards can be seen at https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/Meetings/Attachment.aspx?S=1262&AID=1603525&MID=115084
Additional Information
Allowable use of funds falls under four categories: programs and activities, professional development and training, personnel, and equipment and supplies.
Programs and activities should foster safe, healthy, supportive, and drug-free environments that support student academic achievement, including:
- Drug and violence prevention activities and programs that are evidence-based;
- Help prevent bullying and harassment;
- Improve instructional practices for developing relationship-building skills, such as effective communication, and improve safety through the recognition and prevention of coercion, violence, or abuse, including teen and dating violence, stalking, domestic abuse, and sexual violence and harassment;
- Mentoring and school counseling to all students, including children who are at risk of academic failure, dropping out of school, involvement in criminal or delinquent activities, or drug use and abuse;
- Promote the involvement of parents and families in the activity or program.
Professional development and training are targeted for schools, specialized instructional support personnel, and interested community members related to:
- Drug and violence prevention;
- Suicide prevention;
- Crisis management;
- Human trafficking;
- School-based violence prevention strategies;
- Drug abuse prevention, including educating children facing substance abuse at home;
- Bullying and harassment prevention.
Personnel includes school resource officers (SROs) and/or site resource coordinators who provide a variety of services, such as:
- Establishing partnerships within the community to provide resources and support for schools;
- Ensuring that all service and community partners are aligned with the academic expectations of a community school in order to improve student success; and
- Strengthening relationships between schools and communities.
Equipment and supplies include those designed to improve district safety practices and infrastructure, specifically facilities upgrades and equipment that meet the following definitions:
- Tangible personal property (including information technology systems) having a useful life of more than one year and a per-unit acquisition cost that equals or exceeds $5,000;
- Minor remodeling in previously completed buildings.
- Includes the extension of utility lines, such as water or electricity, from points beyond the confines of the space in which the minor remodeling is undertaken but within the confines of the previously completed building.
- Does not include building construction, structural alteration to buildings, building maintenance, or repairs.
- Crisis alert programs/hardware;
- Updated locks;
- Window and door replacement to include shatterproof window/resistance;
- Technology/software to implement safe monitoring and surveillance measures of students, staff, and visitors to the building;
- Identification/visitor management;
- School facility mapping;
- Video monitoring technology;
- Entry control;
- Intrusion alarm systems;
- Evaluation tools for readiness and emergency management for schools;
- Two-way communication devices and software designed to directly interface with emergency responder radio systems;
- Mass notification telephone systems equipment;
- Content filtering and/or services; and
- Cybersecurity tools and/or services;
FOR ROUND 3 FUNDING ONLY, eligible expenses include:
- Solutions to provide reporting of student internet activities to parents
- Cybersecurity risk assessment services
- Internal and external penetration testing
- Tools for monitoring and alerting district resources for cyberbullying and/or threats
- Device management and inventory
- Single Sign-on or Multi-factor Authentication solutions
- Firewall upgrades
- Endpoint, email or network threat detection, response, and/or mitigation products or services
- Backup solutions
- Cybersecurity training, options including but not limited to:
- Digital Citizenship programs
- Data Governance
- Personally Identifiable Information
- Future of Privacy Forum (FPF)
- Security +