Jay gets grant funds

Local schools will receive state funds to help with school safety.

Jay School Corporation was on the list of recipients last week as Indiana Secured School Safety Board approved more than $14 million in grants.

Jay County was approved for $50,000 through the Indiana Secured School Safety Grant program in fiscal year 2019. It had already been granted $46,000 for fiscal year 2018 through the program, which was started in 2014 and has provided more than $53 million in funding for school safety initiatives across the state.

South Adams was also approved for $50,000 for 2019.

“Primarily they’re for threat assessment, physical security and cameras and technology to improve response time,” said Jay Schools superintendent Jeremy Gulley this morning.

That includes programs such as the Sandy Hook Promise training that Gulley and dozens of other employees of Jay School Corporation and Blackford County Schools were undergoing today at JCHS. The program, created following the 2012 school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School that left 26 dead, offers a variety of resources for students and school staff in an effort to prevent gun violence.

Gulley said this morning that he would also like to look at investing in technology that would provide a direct connection, including video, between schools and Jay County Sheriff’s Office in the event of a school attack.

In addition, grant money will be used to help pay for the installation of bullet-resistant ballistic film on school doors and windows. Jay Schools started that process with the high school in March, and the film has now been installed at six of the corporation’s eight school buildings. Gulley said the remaining two schools will be finished within the next few months.

School safety grant funds can also be used to pay a school resource officer.

In recent years, Jay School Corporation has had sheriff’s office deputies working as SROs at Jay County High School during their off hours.

“We’re working with county commissioners to have a full-time school resource officer,” said Gulley, who has pushed to have the job assigned to a single officer who would help coordinate school security throughout the corporation.

Gulley also noted that the agenda for tonight’s school board meeting includes discussion of a program announced last week by Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb that provides free handheld metal detectors for schools. Districts are eligible for one free metal detector per 250 students.

Other area schools receiving Indiana Secured School Safety Grants were Delaware Community (Delta), Blackford and Monroe Central all at $50,000, Randolph Central (Winchester) at $48,639.72, Southern Wells at $35,000 and Randolph Eastern (Union City) at $29,458. Each corporation must provide a 50-percent match.

“Indiana continues to be national leader in the safety and preparedness of our schools,” said Indiana Department of Homeland Security executive director Bryan Langley in a press release. “With support from Gov. (Eric) Holcomb and legislators, this funding will help continue that trend to support schools as they plan and implement safety measures that protect students, educators, administrators and visitors.”