YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine awarded more than $42 million for security upgrades at over 600 schools, including several local districts.

The funding is part of the fifth round of Ohio’s K-12 School Safety Grant Program. This new round of funding brings the total number of schools served by this program to 2,789 and the total amount of funding awarded to more than $215 million.

The full list of schools — including those in Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties — can be found here.

“Our educators care deeply about the safety of Ohio students, as evidenced by the thousands of schools that came forward with solid security improvement plans that they intend to carry out with this funding,” Gov. DeWine said. “There is nothing more important than the safety of our kids, and with today’s announcement, every qualifying school that applied for a grant has now received at least one award, including schools in all 88 counties.”

DeWine partnered with the Ohio General Assembly to launch the K-12 School Safety Grant Program in 2021. The program was created to help schools pay for physical security expenses such as new security cameras, public address systems, automatic door locks, visitor badging systems, and exterior lighting. 

The Ohio Facilities Construction Commission administered the program in partnership with the Ohio School Safety Center. The program was funded through Ohio’s operating budget and with allocations from the American Rescue Plan Act. 

The full list of schools that have received funding so far can be found here.