The deadline has been extended until Nov. 30 for the 27 percent of eligible Ohio schools who have not claimed their school safety grant money yet.
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced that he has extended the deadline for Ohio schools that are eligible to claim their share of a $12M grant to fund school safety programs.
More than 1,700 schools and school districts in Ohio qualified for grants totaling between $2,500 and $283,000, reports WDTN.
About $2.8M in funding was left unclaimed, even after 63 percent of eligible schools turned in their applications.
Believing in the importance of school safety, DeWine decided to extend the application deadline to Nov. 30.
“As Ohio’s Attorney General, it has always been my mission to support schools in their efforts to protect Ohio’s children,” he said. “I’m extending this deadline because every eligible school is entitled to thousands of dollars to ensure the safety of its students.”
The state Legislature distributed the grant money earlier this year, according to the News-Herald. The money could be spent on school safety measures such as SRO training or mental health programs.
Schools will work with local authorities to decide how best to utilize the grant money for their school or school district.
The original due date was set to be this week, but DeWine hopes the extended deadline will encourage the other 27 percent of eligible schools to claim their grant money.
“I encourage school administrators who have not yet sent in their funding applications to do so right away,” DeWine said.
