Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education 2025 School Safety Grant Information.

The Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is pleased to announce the 2025 School Safety Grant.

School safety grant funds are intended to support the implementation of recommendations from the School Safety Commission, as outlined in Governor Sanders' Arkansas LEARNS Act, and to ensure a safe environment for students and staff. A prioritized list of eligible expenses is included in the attached document (School Safety Grant Priorities).

The Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education has established Rules Governing School Safety, effective January 1, 2024. These rules, reviewed by the Arkansas Legislative Council, will govern the distribution of school safety grant funds. Copies of the rules are attached and can also be found here. 

Funding Formula: The funding available to each district is calculated using the following formula:

• Base amount of $25,000 per Local Education Agency (LEA) (excluding administrative buildings)
• Plus $19 per student. Based on October 1, 2024, enrollment.

Attached to this memo is a list of all public school districts and open-enrollment public charter schools along with the eligible funding amount. To receive the reimbursable grant, public school districts and open-enrollment public charter schools must complete an application. In the application, the status of each school’s progress towards meeting each component of the school safety grant priorities must be reported. Additionally, a plan on how the district will spend the funds is required. Virtual schools are not eligible to receive school safety grant funding.

NOTE: The School Safety Grant priorities have been modified based on observations from the Safe Schools Unit (SSU), as well as feedback and input from district and building administrators, school safety coordinators, law enforcement, safety and security teams, and school based mental health professionals. These adjustments reflect the evolving needs for the 2025 School Safety Grant.

Public school districts and open-enrollment public charter schools must first complete all Priority Approved Expenditures (A-L) components within the district or use the grant to complete the necessary components before funds can be used for Additional Approved Safety Expenditures (M-Z).

Application Submission: Completed applications must be submitted February 28, 2025, to Safe.Schools@ade.arkansas.gov. Upon approval of the application, the district may seek reimbursement by processing expenses through eFinance using the program code and source code for the appropriate priority provided below. ADE Finance will review expenses for reimbursement on the second Saturday of each month.

To ensure efficient processing, districts must attach all paid invoices in eFinance. This process will streamline reimbursement requests, as all expense data will be maintained in eFinance. However, districts should keep all relevant documentation for monitoring and audit purposes. Only actions approved in the School Safety Application Plan will be eligible for reimbursement. If a public school district or open-enrollment public charter school chooses to amend their approved plan, they must first contact the Safe Schools Unit, resubmit an amended plan, and get approval from the Safe School Unit.

All reimbursements for FY24/25 must be recorded in eFinance with the required attachments by June 30, 2025. These grants awards cannot be used to reimburse expenditures occurring prior to July 1, 2024. The revenue code will be 32907.

The Safe Schools Unit will host a ZOOM webinar on January 31, 2025 from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm to explain the grant and answer any questions you may have. Follow this link to attend the ZOOM webinar  https://zoom.us/j/91739411662?pwd=FFdIwczE0DMJH8BZta7YA2X0bdLKbJ.1

Attachments

• 2025 School Safety Grant Awards
• Final Rules Governing School Safety Grant REVISED
• 2025 School Safety Grant Approved Expenditures
• 2025 School Safety Grant Instructions
• 2025 School Safety Grant Application FINAL

Attachments