Buckeye, WV – February 4, 2025 – The Pocahontas County School District is proud to announce that it has been awarded a grant of $408,631 from the 2024 COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP). This funding will be used to enhance security measures and safeguard the well-being of students and staff across our schools.
About the SVPP Grant
The SVPP is a competitive award program designed to improve security at schools through evidence-based safety programs. Authorized under the STOP School Violence Act, the program provides funding to states, local governments, Indian tribes, and public agencies to bolster school safety.
Key Highlights of the 2024 COPS SVPP Awards:
Total Funding: $73,022,696 awarded nationally
Number of Awards: 203
Applications Received: 1,008 from 49 states and one territory
Schools Impacted: Nearly 1,300
Students Benefited: Over 675,000
Distribution: 74% rural, 18% suburban, 8% urban jurisdictions
Funding Provisions for Pocahontas County Schools:
The grant will be used for various security improvements in our schools, including:
New access controls for the entries at all schools
Rekeying all doors in all schools
Upgrades to camera systems
Statement from Lynne Roth Bostic, PCS Superintendent
"We are incredibly grateful to receive this generous grant from the COPS School Violence Prevention Program. This funding will allow us to significantly enhance the security measures across all our schools, creating a safer environment for our students and staff. With these funds, and the $136,210 of matching funding from our district, we will be able to implement crucial steps in our ongoing commitment to school safety and violence prevention. We thank the COPS Office for their continued support and investment in the safety of our schools."
Statement from Duane Gibson, PCS School Safety Director
"The Pocahontas County School District is committed to providing a safe learning environment for all students. This grant will substantially enhance our efforts to protect the well-being of our school community. We have three areas of focus associated with this grant:
First, our access controls for exterior doors are outdated and need to be replaced. Additionally, we are also using multiple vendors for this service across our schools, making continuity in best practices very difficult. We will now have one access control vendor for all schools in the county.
Second, we will re-key all interior and exterior door locks at all schools with ADA-compliant hardware to enhance security, ensuring that only the appropriate staff have access to our secure areas and classrooms. Doors are gateways to our classrooms, and secure locks are essential for the protection of staff and students.
Lastly, we will be updating our security cameras. Video surveillance technology changes quickly, and we want to make sure our schools are using current equipment for this vital tool. Just like the access control system, we are using multiple camera vendors, and this grant will allow us to use one vendor, providing equipment consistency throughout our schools."
For more information about the COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program, please visit the COPS Office website or contact the COPS Office Response Center at AskCOPSRC@usdoj.gov or 800-421-6770.