The DOJ Office of School Safety answered questions and provided clarification on how schools should apply for the School Safety Grant, this week.
To begin the application process, the school must first decide what constitutes the “governing body” of its school. The DOJ says the governing body of the school is the entity, or person, that has the legal authority or jurisdiction over the school. For example, this legal authority is the person who can bind the school to legal contracts, sign teacher contracts, sign bills of sale with vendors, etc.
If a school is part of a system of schools, and the governing body is the head of the system of schools, there will only be one application for the entire system, not multiple applications for each school under the system.
The “per building” language in the Grant Application Announcement document is confusing. The DOJ says the “per building” requirement does not mean a physical building but the school’s listing in the DPI private school directory online.
The DOJ will award the $20,000 in Advance Security funds for each listing on the DPI directory.
Example: School system A has 3 schools, with three school listings, the system of schools can receive up to $60,000 in Advance security funds.
Example: School system B has 5 schools, but only one school listing for the whole system, then the system of schools can only receive $20,000 in Advance Security funds. They can apply for more but the application gets placed “on hold” until the basic funds have been awarded.
The school systems can decide how the money will be allocated. You can use all of the combined funding on one building or divide it up among the schools.
The grant application states that schools need to show cost containing practices. Private schools can share the cost with other schools in your area. For example, private school A and B are both in Sun Prairie. They could host a combined training and detail this “cost containment” in their applications.
The DOJ warns that schools may receive offers or be contacted by sales representatives about safety related products. The DOJ urges schools to exercise caution and ensure that the services or products are reputable and fit their safety needs.
Schools should continually check the DOJ Office of School Safety FAQ section because it is updated regularly. You can also email the DOJ with questions here.
