LINCOLN, Neb. – About half of Nebraska’s public school districts and 43 private K-12 campuses have received $10 million from the state’s department of education to bolster school security and safety. These are the grant winners.
The funds, which were part of Legislative Bill 705 that passed with zero “no” votes, will pay for school door locks, secure vestibules, access control, window security film, as well as the installation of security cameras, lighting, bollards, phone systems, two-way radios, and Stop-the-Bleed kits, reports the Nebraska Examiner.
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The passage of LB705 and LB 516 was prompted by the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, that killed 19 students and two teachers. A task force was created shortly after the active shooter attack, and many of the task force’s recommendations for school security were included in the legislation.
The Nebraska Department of Education received 217 applications from 162 public school districts and 55 private schools totaling $60.4 million. The department began reviewing the applications in February 2024. Prevention was prioritized over preparedness, response and recovery. Most of the funds were awarded for doors, locks, vestibules, and access control systems.
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More Nebraska Districts Can Now Arm Select School Security Staff Members
LB 1329 will also be impacting the safety and security of Nebraska K-12 campuses. The law reclassified 80% of the state’s school districts to new, smaller levels at the start of this year, reports 1011Now. Now school boards of smaller districts – with less than 5,000 inhabitants — can authorize select school security personnel to carry firearms on campus.
Seventeen of the 50 school districts that were reclassified as smaller are more than 15 minutes away from the nearest police station.
Additionally, the State Board of Education adopted a model firearms policy in December that was created in consultation with the Nebraska State Patrol.
