10 Henrico elementary schools earn security grants from VDOE

Ten public elementary schools in Henrico County will share nearly $200,000 in state funding for school security upgrades.

The schools – Arthur Ashe Jr., Chamberlayne, Crestview, Greenwood, Harvie, Henry D. Ward, Longdale, Pemberton, Seven Pines, and Skipwith –will receive money as part of the Virginia Department of Education's School Security Equipment Grants program, which in total is awarding $12 million to schools statewide.

According to Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Coons, the funding will support the creation of safe and supportive learning environments that will help protect students, faculty, staff, and visitors.

"Every child deserves a high-quality education experience, one where they can deeply focus on learning and growing the minute they step onto a school bus or pass through the doors of their school," Coons stated.

The grants were awarded competitively, with each eligible school division receiving up to $250,000. Awarded schools were determined based on a ranking system that considered the strength of their applications against competitive criteria. The VDOE and Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services prioritize schools that need modern security equipment, have many offenses, need security upgrades identified by an audit, or are in divisions least able to pay for them.

A wide range of security equipment will be purchased using the grant funds, including voice and video communication systems, mass notification systems, security card access systems, visitor ID badging systems, surveillance cameras, two-way radios, security vestibules, interior bus cameras, and bus two-way radios.