Fourteen schools in the Acadiana area recently received state grants of up to $50,000 to upgrade security on their respective campuses.
The grants program, now in its third year, has awarded $5 million each year to cover physical improvements to campuses, such as new doors or fences, updating emergency plans and better training for staff. The latest 117 awards, announced in July, were selected from 575 applicants.
The grants are given out each year by the Louisiana Center for Safe Schools. The center, which opened in 2023, was created by the state Legislature in the wake of the deadly shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, which killed 21 people and injured 17 more. The center is part of the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, or GOHSEP…