PROVIDENCE – School districts across Rhode Island will be eligible for substantial emergency state funds in order to make necessary upgrades to improve school safety in the wake of last week’s deadly mass shooting at a Texas elementary school.
Gov. Daniel J. McKee, along with the R.I. State Police and the R.I. Department of Education, announced Tuesday at the R.I. State House that the department will authorize up to $500,000 in emergency approval funding through the state’s School Building Authority for each district to make security upgrades for local school facilities – and be reimbursed after work has been completed. Up to $18 million in such funding could be distributed across all of the Ocean State’s 36 school districts.
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“School safety is vital, and it starts with ensuring that our facilities are well-maintained and following the most recent guidance from law enforcement experts,” R.I. Education Commissioner Angelica Infante-Green said in a statement.
State officials said they are collaborating with local school superintendents and local law enforcement agencies to identify what school safety issues exist, and to fund those repairs or upgrades. McKee’s office said every local education agency leader will conduct school facility walkthroughs in their respective districts, and complete and submit by June 10 a survey noting what potential security hazards exist.
Such hazards, McKee’s office said, include reviews of doors and windows, car access, lighting, alarm and camera systems, communication systems and landscape features. Those submitted surveys will be shared with RIDE and the state’s school safety committee, the governor said.
The state announced this collaboration after 19 children and two teachers were killed in a May 24 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. McKee said in a statement the best way to ensure that what happened in Texas does not happen in Rhode Island “is to make serious investments” in repairs and security upgrades to local school buildings.
“Rhode Island families deserve peace of mind,” McKee said.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
