U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith highlighted the award of more than $2.77 million in U.S. Department of Justice grants for violence reduction initiatives in six Mississippi school districts. Jefferson Davis County School District is one of those districts and was selected to received $500,000. “I am super excited,” said Jefferson Davis County Superintendent Ike Haynes. According to Haynes, this grant will help improve areas of weakness in an effort to provide safe, supportive environments for the students, faculty and administrators. “Our students and faculty will be made safer once this grant is expended.” Haynes says the district will use funds from the grant to purchase crisis alert systems, access controls, intercom systems and surveillance cameras. “I want to thank Cindy Hyde-Smith for her leadership and thanks to our partners Synergetics and Melanie Busby, along with district employees Dr. Jason McLeod and Eric Stewart.”

The DOJ Office of Community Oriented Policing Services has approved School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) grants for the Jefferson Davis County, Forest Municipal, Coahoma County, Quitman County, Scott County, and Natchez-Adams school districts.

“The Justice Department provides these funds to support a variety of activities to protect students by improving security at schools and emergency preparedness.  I’m pleased these predominantly rural Mississippi school districts will have new resources to address these issues,” Hyde-Smith said.

SVPP funds totaling $2,775,839 for Mississippi include:

Jefferson Davis County School District – $500,000

Forest Municipal School District – $478,796

Coahoma County School District – $468,375

Quitman County School District – $445,337

Scott County School District – $443,544

Natchez-Adams School District – $439,787

Districts may use SVPP grants for, among other things, coordination with local law enforcement; security enhancements, emergency preparedness and technology upgrades, and/or other actions to improve security in schools and school grounds.  The SPVV grants fund up to 75 percent of the cost for evidence-based school safety measures in and around primary and secondary schools.