School Safety & Security

South Dakota Receives $2 Million for School Security

• By Yvonne Marquez
• 10/16/19

South Dakota received three grants totaling $2 million to help school districts prevent and address threats of violence.

The South Dakota Department of Public Safety received the grants from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance’s STOP School Violence Program.      

“These grants will be incredibly beneficial in our schools and better equip us to provide resources and training in the areas of violence prevention and threat recognition,” Gov. Kristi Noem said in a press release. “While we hope our schools never experience violence, it is important we equip them with the resources they need to enhance safety and prepare teachers and students to recognize potential threats.”

These are the three different grants:

• $998,000 will help the state establish a School Safety Resource Center. The center will distribute the best practices for school safety, handle requests for threat recognition training, requests for physical security assessments for K-12 school buildings.
• $500,000 will establish prevention and mental health training programs with the help from mental health professionals.
• $500,000 will focus on technology and threat assessment solutions for school programs.

The grant money cannot be used to purchase weapons, equipment, or fund salaries for school resource officers. The programs will be run by the state’s Office of Homeland of Security.