KEDC Project SECURE (Safety Enhanced Communication & Utilizing Resources Effectively)

The Kentucky Educational Development Corporation (KEDC) seeks Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) funding to form an effective partnership focused on preventing and reducing school violence across multiple Kentucky districts. The overall goal of Project SECURE (Safety Enhanced Communication & Utilizing Resources Effectively) is to provide resources, technical assistance, and training to school personnel, students, and SROs aimed at increasing school safety. The two project objectives are to: 1. Increase the knowledge and skills of school personnel and students from 11 participating districts by providing evidence-based resources, technical assistance, and training in school safety 2. Increase the knowledge and skills of SROs from 23 participating districts to work with school-age populations by providing evidence-based resources, technical assistance, and training KEDC will primarily collaborate with the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE), the Kentucky Center for School Safety (KCSS), MM Consulting, and Terrace Metrics to attend two foci: (1) Area 3: Train school personnel and educate students in 11 targeted districts and (2) Area 4: Provide specialized training for SROs in 23 targeted districts. In Year 1 alone, almost 7,000 students will be impacted as will over 400 teachers and over 100 administrators and other school personnel (i.e., counselors, instructional coaches, etc.). The exact number of SROs is unknown at this time because as of the writing of this proposal over 600 SROs are being hired across the Commonwealth. However, early estimates indicate that Project SECURE could potentially train up to 75 SROs in Year 1. Although KEDC has received funding from two additional BJA STOP grants, the 11 targeted districts (Area 3 focus) have never received training or technical assistance as participants of a like or similar grant. The additional 12 districts (Area 4 focus) have participated in previous BJA STOP grants (where teachers and students benefitted from services), but their current SROs and approximately 70 additional SROs being hired between now and August 1, 2022, have never received training or technical assistance from a BJA STOP grant; therefore, the SROs from these districts have never been served.