The U.S. Department of Education has launched a new $93 million School Safety Enhancement (SSE) grant program designed to help states strengthen school safety systems and improve the physical security of schools.

The grant program was announced in a report by Colby Williams, policy advisor for the Security Industry Association (SIA).

The competitive grant program will provide funding to state educational agencies to develop, implement and strengthen statewide school safety systems and school infrastructure security. According to the Department of Education, the program is intended to support evidence-based school safety measures, emergency response planning and coordination, training and preparedness exercises for school personnel and school resource officers, and improvements to school infrastructure security.

The School Safety Enhancement program is funded through School Safety National Activities funds and is being administered by the Department of Education.

The Department of Education said the program aligns with Secretary Linda McMahon's Returning Education to the States Supplemental Priority, which is intended to better align federal funding with state goals and improve coherence across state systems.

The FY 2026 competition includes an estimated $93 million in total grant funding. Eligible applicants are state educational agencies.

Applications for the grant program are due July 28.