Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced $4 million in grant funding available to local school districts for threat response on Friday.

The funding will be available to buy technology that links them directly to law enforcement to improve crisis response and crime prevention.

The grant program, which has been continued after a pilot effort last year, helps school districts purchase crisis-response technology that alerts law enforcement of potential safety breeches on school property.

Examples of these include: 

  • Systems allowing immediate camera access to responding law enforcement
  • Silent panic alarms
  • Gunshot-detection technology
  • License plate reader alerts for vehicles belonging to registered sex offenders
  • Alert systems warning of wanted dangerous individuals

Districts can apply for a maximum of $30,000 in grant money for use on one or multiple buildings. 

Grant applications will be accepted from Oct. 1 through Nov. 30, 2023, via the Ohio Grants Portal. Grant award recipients will be notified in January 2024, with grant payment projected for early 2024