Grant Details

COPS Secure Our Schools (SOS) grants provide funding to state, local, or tribal governments to assist with the development of school safety resources. This funding will allow recipients the opportunity to establish and enhance a variety of school safety equipment and/or violence prevention programs to encourage the continuation and enhancement of school safety efforts within their communities. The COPS Office is optimistic that this grant program will help place agencies at the forefront of innovative school safety developments. Funding under this program may be requested for such things as:

1. Placement and use of metal detectors, locks, lighting, and other deterrent measures;
2. Security assessments;
3. Security training of personnel and students;
4. Coordination with local law enforcement;
5. Any other measure that may provide a significant improvement in security.

The SOS grant program encourages law enforcement agencies and school districts to partner together to advance school security and safety through the prevention of school violence. Through this program, applicants may request funding for violence prevention initiatives, equipment, technology, training, and security assessments at schools and on school grounds. The FY2011 grant program is placing a greater focus on school safety assessments. All applicants must have conducted a school safety assessment within the last three years for the schools targeted through this grant application or plan to conduct a school safety assessment for those identified schools in the grant implementation period. An agency may request funding to conduct a schools safety assessment. These assessments should be used as strategic evaluation tools to identify school safety problems. SOS applicants will be able to request budget items which are specifically linked to the resolution of school safety problems identified through these school safety assessments. Allowable costs under this program include:

1. Civilian/Non-sworn Personnel (Salaries and Benefits): Civilian salary and fringe benefits apply to new personnel not already funded in the applicant’s local budget. Staff must be hired on or after the award start date, and must work directly on the SOS project. Examples of allowable personnel and fringe benefits include those for a project coordinator/director, or analysis;
2. Equipment/Technology: Equipment and/or technology items must be clearly linked to the enhancement or implementation of the SOS project. Examples of such items may include the following: (a) Surveillance cameras and/or systems (and accompanying equipment); (b) Door locking mechanisms/Access control doors; (c) Lighting (on school grounds, not involving construction); (d) Metal detectors (including portable); (e) ID scanning devices (and accompanying equipment); (f) Fingerprinting scanners; (g) Laptops (directly related to SOS project); (h) Printers (directly related to SOS project); (i) Breathalyzers (solely for use by police officers); (j) Fire extinguishers; (k) Video cameras for school buses; (l) Intercoms (rapid communication system); (m) Two-way radios; (n) Defibrillators;
3. Supplies: Generally, supplies include any materials that are expended or consumed during the course of the SOS project. Such costs may include training manuals, paper, printer ink, pens, postage, etc. All supply items must be directly related to the SOS project;
4. Travel/Training: Travel/training costs include grant-related travel costs for the grantee to visit other jurisdictions engaged in similar programs or to attend conferences/trainings directly related to the goals of the project. Expenses for transportation, lodging, meals, and incidental expenses (if travel is more than 50 miles from the program location) will be reviewed in accordance with applicable guidelines as part of the application process. Examples of such travel purposes include school safety and police/school partnership trainings;
5. Contracts/Consultants: Contract/consultant costs may include costs to provide one-time training to staff for equipment operation/usage, and contracting/consulting services that provide such things as security needs analysis and assessment, staff-wide school safety training, and equipment installation/testing. Compensation for individual consultant services procured under a COPS grant must be reasonable and allowable in accordance with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) cost principles, and consistent with that paid for similar services in the marketplace. Unless otherwise approved by the COPS Office, consultant rates will be based on the salary a consultant receives from his or her primary employer, as applicable, up to $550 per day. For consultant or contractor rates which exceed $550 per day, the COPS Office requires written justification if the consultants or contractors are hired through a noncompetitive bidding process. The grantee agency must provide justification for any such rate in excess of $550 per day and receive COPS Office approval of that rate before drawing down grant funds. Determinations will be made on a case-by-case basis;
6. Other Costs: Other costs may include such items as overtime (not to exceed 20 percent of the awarded budget), violence prevention initiatives related to the SOS project, bomb covers for windows, peepholes for classroom doors, bullhorns, software, prepaid warranties or maintenance agreements (not to exceed 24 months), or other items that have a direct correlation to the overall success of a grantee’s project objectives and are necessary for the project to reach full implementation.