A Virginia School District will receive a $50,000 grant for school resource officers from the state.
Portsmouth Public Schools won the grant, which will be put toward six school resource officers and will last up to four years according to hamptonroads.com. Virginia’s Department of Criminal Justice Services award is given to one school district each year and will cover all salaries and benefits of the officers. The school district will also match the funds awarded to them.
The annual award was approved in 2013 after the state’s School and Campus Safety Task Force recommended it following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012. The award’s purpose is to bolster security in Virginia’s public elementary, middle and high schools.
Portsmouth Public Schools currently employs four school resource officers. The grant will be put toward hiring additional security officers for the upcoming school year.
