Board approves $500,000 school safety grant application for bus radios and cameras

The Hamilton County Board of Education approved a resolution to apply for the U.S. Department of Justice COPS School Violence Prevention Program grant for approximately $500,000 to fund communications and security equipment.

Chief Operations Officer Dr. Robert Sharp described the application. The district plans to request funds for equipment that would allow school bus drivers to connect directly to law enforcement radio channels during incidents on routes and to purchase additional video cameras for the district's safety and security department. The stated goal is to shorten response times and improve situational awareness on bus routes and at school properties.

Board members asked clarifying questions about the specific equipment and its intended use. Dr. Sharp and staff described the request as targeted to radios for buses and to cameras for schools; no final vendor choices were discussed during the meeting. The application must be completed and submitted to the grant program; approval by the board allows staff to proceed with preparing and filing the grant documents.

The board voted in favor by roll call; the motion carried with board members recording yes votes during the roll call that followed the discussion.

The board did not appropriate funds in the meeting; if the grant is awarded, staff said they would return with procurement and implementation details and any required local-match or acceptance actions.