In June 2022 Governor Kim Reynolds announced a $100 million school safety initiative for Iowa’s public school districts and nonpublic and independent schools. The initiative is being carried out by HSEM, the Iowa Department of Public Safety, and the Iowa Department of Education, with funding provided by the American Rescue Plan Act and the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund. The program has funded facility vulnerability assessments, digital critical incident mapping technology, two-way radios, threat reporting and monitoring software, and capital improvements for security enhancements through the School Safety Improvement Fund.
Given the Department's expertise in critical infrastructure protection and threat assessments, HSEM was assigned the responsibility for overseeing the initiative's facility vulnerability assessments. HSEM collaborated with federal and private-sector experts to develop assessment methods and tools. The assessments began in July 2022 and were completed in January 2023. Nearly 500 school districts or systems requested assessments of more than 1,200 buildings. In addition, 44 districts or systems conducted vulnerability assessments in conjunction with local law enforcement and submitted their findings to the department.
HSEM was also tasked with administering the capital improvement grants provided through the School Safety Improvement Fund. Through this grant, schools can apply for up to $50,000 per eligible school building to implement the recommended capital improvements that were identified through the vulnerability assessment process. At the end of State Fiscal Year 2025, 431 school district or system applications were awarded. The deadline for schools to apply for these grants was December 31, 2024.
School districts/systems applied for the School Safety Grant using the number of buildings on the 2021-22 BEDS Report. Eligible school districts and school systems were able to implement minor capital improvements for school safety. Applications are no longer accepted, and the deadline for all outstanding work was December 31, 2025
If you have questions, please email Iowa HSEM.