Bulletproof window film. Security cameras. Emergency alert systems. 

No, it’s not a prison shopping list – it’s a list of safety enhancements coming to certain Utah public schools.

The items and modifications are covered through School Safety and Support grant funding, allocated last year under H.B.61, which aimed to help schools finance critical security improvements, among other school safety initiatives. 

The $72 million in state funding was doled out through a “competitive application process” that the Utah State Board of Education’s Safe and Healthy Schools Team oversaw. Preliminary awards were announced earlier this year. 

Davis School District and Granite School District were among the few that received the highest amount, at $4.6 million and $3.1 million, respectively. 

Davis School District received funding for 69 of its 92 schools. The expense requests fell into one of two categories: bulletproof window film and intercom system upgrades, a public records request showed.

Across the 69 schools, the district initially asked for more than $400,000 to purchase bulletproof film and roughly $8.9 million for intercom updates – around $9.3 million total.

USBE granted the district about half that, at $4.6 million. 

Districts and charters had until Sept. 15, 2023 to submit their applications, but first, they had to complete a “safety assessment” to determine their needs. One application was required for each school within a district that requested funding. 

Since the grant was meant to support “basic physical safety and security” improvements, there were few restrictions on its use. However, schools could not “supplant funds” – use the money toward existing projects – or use the funding for “unrelated transportation and travel.”

The USBE used a scoring rubric to determine which schools would receive funding and how much. Schools were given priority if they had lower student counts and if they had already designated safety specialists. Schools were also awarded points based on the quality of their responses and if they had met statutory requirements. 

Allowable costs included infrastructure improvements, cameras, security personnel, lighting, locks and other safety measures. Schools have until June 2026 to exhaust their awards.

The money was distributed as Utah lawmakers this year encouraged more teachers to carry guns, passing a bill that created the “Educator Protector Program.” Those who participate receive free classroom-threat response training but must store their firearms in “biometric” gun safes if they don’t actively carry them on campus.