FRANKLIN
Both Franklin and Southampton school districts will each receive nearly $100,000 in school security equipment grant funds from the Commonwealth of Virginia. The funds are intended to pay for video monitoring systems, metal detectors, electronic access controls, visitor identification systems and direct communications links to law enforcement agencies.

This news came via a press release from the office of Gov. Terry McAuliffe.

The School Security Equipment Grant, established by the General Assembly in 2013 in the aftermath of the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, is intended to help schools with relatively high numbers of offenses afford security upgrades. In Franklin, the funds total $99,879 will be distributed among Franklin High, Joseph P. King Jr. Middle and S.P. Morton Elementary. In Southampton County, $99,924 will be distributed to Capron, Meherrin, Nottoway  and Riverdale elementary schools, as well as Southampton High and Southampton Middle schools.

“School safety is a fundamental element of offering every Virginia student a world class education in an environment where they can learn, grow and thrive,” McAuliffe stated in the release. “These grants will give our administrators the resources they need to keep students and educators safe so they can focus on preparing for success in the new Virginia economy.”

School divisions and regional educational programs were invited in June to apply for the 2016 grants. The largest grant a school division could receive under the program was $100,000.

A total of 434 schools and educational facilities across Virginia will receive the money.

Since the grant’s creation, a total of 1,782 schools have received funds.