A bill, sponsored by Arizona State Rep. Shawnna Bolick, allocated $150,000 to the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) to award school safety grants. ADE has now posted application instructions for this school safety grant pilot program, which is open to public district or charter schools.
“Early research on school safety tiplines suggests that availability of the tip line needs to be marketed to the intended audience and that the intended audience needs to be trained on its use. The research also suggests that schools should develop triage and investigation policies and procedures; detail the roles of partner agencies; and implement strategies for addressing school climate.”
“As a mom of a teenager, I know how much our kids rely heavily on technology,” stated Representative Bolick. “This school safety grant is a small investment in addressing bullying and student safety in our schools. According to a November 2021 Arizona Child Fatality Review Annual Report, bullying is a top reason for children taking their own lives. Teens have told me they have tried to report an incident on their school campus with a trusted adult but were never taken seriously. It is my hope that the responsible use of this technology will lead safer school campuses for our students.”
Overview
The Electronic Incident Prevention System grant is made available through a one-time appropriation of $150,000 by the Arizona Legislature for FY23. The purpose of the grant is to provide funding to Local Education Agencies (LEAs) for the purchase, development or maintenance of a school safety tip line. A school safety tip line provides students, staff and/or other individuals in a school community with the
opportunity to report to school officials a potential incident of violence in a confidential and/or anonymous manner.Grant Awards
Up to $5,000 will be provided to awarded LEAs on a rolling basis of first-come first-served. No more than 60% of total funds ($90,000) will be approved for LEAs within Maricopa and Pima counties between the grant opening and February 1, 2023. Any unallocated funds remaining on February 1, 2023 will be awarded to LEAs within Maricopa and Pima counties with outstanding or incoming applications above the 60% cap. The application will be available until May 1, 2023 or until all funding is awarded, whichever comes first. Funds must be expended by June 30, 2023.
Bolick’s school safety legislation came at the request of public safety personnel to reduce on-campus threats, and citizen activists interested in reducing mental health episodes and bullying on our school campuses. Money for the grants, which will enable schools to procure and implement an electronic incident prevention program to reduce incidents and threats on campuses, was included in the most recent budget passed by the Legislature and signed by Governor Ducey.
Bolick noted that Arizona schools have already partnered with several vendors who produce an anonymous incident reporting apps, including Anonymous Alerts, Gaggle, GoGuardian, STOPit Solutions.
“It is my hope that at least 30 more schools/districts will qualify for this program, see its benefits, and report back to the Legislature and ADE on how many threats were reported and prevented with the use of these apps. I anticipate that this grant program will become a permanent tool in the future to make our schools safer,” she said.