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Kent County Allocates Over $2.8 Million in ARPA Grant to Launch Transformative School Safety Radio Network

System Provides Another Critical Tool to Enhance Communication and Better Protect Students and Staff

Grand Rapids, MI (August 27, 2024) - The Kent County Board of Commissioners announced a $2.8 million American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant to the Kent County Sheriff's Office to implement Michigan's first-of-its-kind county-wide 800 MHz school safety radio network.

"This radio system will give emergency dispatch, schools, and law enforcement a dedicated and effective tool to communicate critical, factual, and immediate information," said Kent County Board of Commissioners Chair Stan Stek. "That will help build a better, safer future for kids and teachers throughout our community."

Since receiving the grant, the Sheriff's Office has worked closely with school staff to ensure the system is operational before the start of the school year. With over 300 schools and 21 administrative offices participating, the 800 MHz radio system connects every K-12 school in Kent County directly to the County dispatch center. The system's radios are programmed with specific school safety talk groups monitored by the dispatch center and school administrative staff. These talk groups enable a two-way communication network that allows school staff to request immediate police assistance during emergencies, such as an active shooter situation, and provide a direct line for dispatch to relay critical instructions to schools, including lockdown orders.

"In debriefings on school shootings given by federal and local law enforcement officials who responded to school tragedies, communication is consistently identified as the most significant point of failure," said Kent County Sheriff Michelle LaJoye Young. "The inability of school officials to provide law enforcement with real-time information during critical incidents could result in needless injuries and deaths. This radio system will enable in-the-moment, ongoing 2-way communication between school administrators and law enforcement in emergencies, and it can save lives."

Agencies in communities across the country have documented that 9-1-1 systems can be overwhelmed with callers during critical incidents like school shootings, many of whom are calling with outdated, unreliable, or third-party information about what is occurring.

The network will also allow the dispatch center to relay other urgent notifications to school districts, such as inclement weather threats or the need to alter bussing routes.

"This school safety radio network exemplifies the kind of broad-reaching, impactful project that we as a Board envisioned and the community called for in our ARPA funding visioning and engagement process," concluded Stek.

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About the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)

The ARPA was signed into law in March 2021 to provide financial assistance to eligible state, local, territorial, and tribal governments, helping them address public health challenges and support economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Kent County received $127.6 million under ARPA, with the Board of Commissioners allocating the funding to 45 internal and community projects according to U.S. Treasury guidelines. For more information, visit KentCountyARPA.com.

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