Kentucky school safety

School mapping requirements & grants in Kentucky

Yes. Kentucky's 2024 Senate Bill 2 (KRS 158.4433) created a statewide School Mapping Data Program requiring standardized, walk-through-verified, true-north digital floor plans, interoperable with first-responder software and shared free, with the law effective since July 15, 2024.

Kentucky's 2024 Senate Bill 2 (KRS 158.4433) created a statewide School Mapping Data Program, run by the Center for School Safety, requiring standardized, true-north, gridded, walk-through-verified digital floor plans and aerial imagery (with labeled rooms, doors, hazards, AEDs, etc.) that are interoperable with public-safety software and shared free with first responders. It is a clear mandate/framework, though statewide rollout depends on funding, which the legislature was still addressing in the 2026 session.^[1]

Why this matters in Kentucky

Why do Kentucky schools need responder-ready maps now?

Kentucky already requires this: KRS 158.4433 set a true-north, gridded, walk-through-verified standard across all 1,477 public schools, and the legislature was still working the funding in its 2026 session. Districts that move while dollars are being allocated get accurate data into responders' hands first, rather than queuing behind 171 districts for a funds-dependent statewide rollout. The mandate is live; only the money is catching up.

The mandate

What does Kentucky law require?

Law

2024 Kentucky Senate Bill 2 (2024 Ky. Acts ch. 165, sec. 11) - School Mapping Data Program^[1]

Statute

KRS 158.4433^[1]

Compliance

Statute effective July 15, 2024 (created 2024 Ky. Acts ch. 165, sec. 11). No fixed school-by-school participation deadline is set in KRS 158.4433; the program is funds-dependent (the Center develops data 'utiliz[ing] available funds'). Grandfather provision in KRS 158.4433(4): a district or campus that, as of July 1, 2024, had already implemented mapping data meeting subsection (3)(a)-(k) is not required to adopt new mapping data.^[1]

What schools must provide: Establishes the statewide School Mapping Data Program, administered by the Kentucky Center for School Safety, to develop a single verified source of standardized school mapping data for each participating public, public charter, and (on request) private school. 'School mapping data' is electronic/digital mapping information to assist first responders. Per KRS 158.4433(3), the data must: (a) be compatible with software platforms used by local, county, state, and federal public safety agencies serving the school, with no additional software purchase or fee to view/access; (b) be compatible with the school's/district's own security software platforms at no added cost; (c) be in a printable format and, on request, a digital file format that integrates into interactive mobile platforms; (d) be verified for accuracy by a walk-through of buildings and grounds; (e) be oriented to true north; (f) include accurate floor plans overlaid on current verified aerial imagery; (g) carry site-specific labeling matching building structure (room labels; hallway names/identifiers; external door or stairwell numbers; locations of hazards; critical utility locations; key boxes; AEDs; trauma kits); (h) carry site-specific labeling of grounds (parking areas; athletic fields; surrounding roads; neighboring properties); (i) be overlaid with a gridded coordinate system; (j) not be modified independently without corresponding updates within the public-safety-agency platforms; and (k) be provided to public safety agencies and participating schools/districts perpetually and at no cost. Under KRS 158.4433(2)(b), the Center provides the data to the state school security marshal, participating schools and districts, and local law enforcement and public safety agencies for emergency response and for drills required under KRS 158.162(5); the data is exempted from open-records disclosure (KRS 61.870-61.884).^[1]

Funding

What grants help Kentucky schools pay for mapping?

Kentucky districts often combine state and federal programs to fund first-responder mapping, AI threat detection, and emergency communications. We list only currently open or recurring programs; amounts and deadlines change, so confirm each at its official source before applying.

Kentucky state programs

School Mapping Data Program funding (KRS 158.4433) - Center for School SafetyOpen

Each public school, public charter school, and any private school that requests to participate.

^[1]

Federal programs (available nationwide)

COPS School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP)Closed

Funding FY26: up to $73,000,000 total available; maximum federal share of $500,000 per award; approximately 200 awards anticipated; 36-month period of performance starting October 1, 2026. A local cash match of at least 25 percent is required unless a waiver is requested and approved. Approximately $1,000,000 was reserved for microgrants of up to $100,000 for rural, tribal, and low-resourced school districts. These are the closed FY26 figures, not a forecast for FY27.

Funds school security technology and equipment, including systems that speed law-enforcement notification during an emergency. (U.S. Department of Justice - Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office))

Most recent cycle closed. Confirm the next cycle at the official source.Listing: 16.710Full program details ^[2]

STOP School Violence Program (BJA) - Students, Teachers, and Officers Preventing School ViolenceClosed

Funding FY25 solicitation (the most recent on record): award ceiling $2,000,000, award floor $0, 79 awards anticipated. UNVERIFIED: the total program funding figure and the Category 1 / Category 2 split. The Grants.gov synopsis records total program funding as $2,000,000 against 79 awards at a $2,000,000 ceiling, which is internally inconsistent and appears to be a data-entry artefact, and the previously published ~$83,000,000 total and category breakdown could not be re-confirmed on a primary source in this pass. Treat the per-award ceiling as the reliable figure.

Funds evidence-based violence prevention: threat assessment, anonymous reporting, and law-enforcement coordination (cannot fund cameras, locks, or fencing). (U.S. Department of Justice - Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Office of Justice Programs)

Most recent cycle closed. Confirm the next cycle at the official source.Listing: 16.839Full program details ^[3]

Project SERV (School Emergency Response to Violence)Rolling

Funding Awards are sized to the incident and vary widely; there is no published per-award cap and no match requirement. The ten published FY2026 awards range from $25,434 (Lower Kuskokwim School District, AK) to $439,630 (Anchorage School District, AK). FY2025 awards ranged from $12,989 to $1,252,000. Two tiers exist, both at the Secretary's discretion and subject to appropriations: Immediate Services (emergency short-term assistance) and Extended Services (longer recovery).

Funds short-term recovery services, including security measures, after a school experiences a violent or traumatic event. (U.S. Department of Education - Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), Safe and Supportive Schools)

Deadline: No fixed deadline, event-driven. LEAs and IHEs apply on a rolling basis after a qualifying traumatic event by contacting the Department of Education. The program now lists separate contacts for school-violence SERV and natural-disaster SERV; get the current contact from the official program page rather than a cached address.Listing: 84.184SFull program details ^[4]

See full details on each federal funding program, including eligibility, deadlines, and how each can apply to responder-ready mapping.

How schools comply

How do Kentucky schools go from paper plans to a map responders can actually use?

KRS 158.4433 sets a long checklist: labeled rooms, doors, hazards, utilities, AEDs and trauma kits, gridded and oriented to true north, viewable inside public-safety platforms at no added fee. Ark captures all of it in one LiDAR and drone scan, then keeps the live 3D twin synced so school and responder views never drift apart. Static PDFs go stale the moment a building changes, and they cannot be shared live with arriving units.

Ark Strategic builds a live 3D digital twin of a campus from a LiDAR and drone scan, often completed in a single day though larger campuses can take longer, with every room, exit, utility shutoff, AED, and access point labeled. Responders reach it two ways, neither of which requires anything new to install: through RapidSOS, the platform already connected to the vast majority of US 911 centers, or in any web browser, since the twin runs in the cloud. Either way, your 911 center and on-scene units see the campus inside tools they already have.

A flat floor plan tells responders where the walls are. A digital twin shows them where to go. The platform and setup are bundled into one deployment, often grant-funded, so there is no separate software line item for the district. See how the K-12 platform works.

FAQ

What else do Kentucky districts ask about school mapping?

Does Kentucky require school safety mapping?

Yes. Kentucky's 2024 Senate Bill 2 (KRS 158.4433) created a statewide School Mapping Data Program requiring standardized, walk-through-verified, true-north digital floor plans, interoperable with first-responder software and shared free, with the law effective since July 15, 2024. Kentucky's 2024 Senate Bill 2 (KRS 158.4433) created a statewide School Mapping Data Program, run by the Center for School Safety, requiring standardized, true-north, gridded, walk-through-verified digital floor plans and aerial imagery (with labeled rooms, doors, hazards, AEDs, etc.) that are interoperable with public-safety software and shared free with first responders. It is a clear mandate/framework, though statewide rollout depends on funding, which the legislature was still addressing in the 2026 session.

What does 2024 Kentucky Senate Bill 2 (2024 Ky. Acts ch. 165, sec. 11) - School Mapping Data Program require?

Establishes the statewide School Mapping Data Program, administered by the Kentucky Center for School Safety, to develop a single verified source of standardized school mapping data for each participating public, public charter, and (on request) private school. 'School mapping data' is electronic/digital mapping information to assist first responders. Per KRS 158.4433(3), the data must: (a) be compatible with software platforms used by local, county, state, and federal public safety agencies serving the school, with no additional software purchase or fee to view/access; (b) be compatible with the school's/district's own security software platforms at no added cost; (c) be in a printable format and, on request, a digital file format that integrates into interactive mobile platforms; (d) be verified for accuracy by a walk-through of buildings and grounds; (e) be oriented to true north; (f) include accurate floor plans overlaid on current verified aerial imagery; (g) carry site-specific labeling matching building structure (room labels; hallway names/identifiers; external door or stairwell numbers; locations of hazards; critical utility locations; key boxes; AEDs; trauma kits); (h) carry site-specific labeling of grounds (parking areas; athletic fields; surrounding roads; neighboring properties); (i) be overlaid with a gridded coordinate system; (j) not be modified independently without corresponding updates within the public-safety-agency platforms; and (k) be provided to public safety agencies and participating schools/districts perpetually and at no cost. Under KRS 158.4433(2)(b), the Center provides the data to the state school security marshal, participating schools and districts, and local law enforcement and public safety agencies for emergency response and for drills required under KRS 158.162(5); the data is exempted from open-records disclosure (KRS 61.870-61.884).

When must Kentucky schools comply?

Statute effective July 15, 2024 (created 2024 Ky. Acts ch. 165, sec. 11). No fixed school-by-school participation deadline is set in KRS 158.4433; the program is funds-dependent (the Center develops data 'utiliz[ing] available funds'). Grandfather provision in KRS 158.4433(4): a district or campus that, as of July 1, 2024, had already implemented mapping data meeting subsection (3)(a)-(k) is not required to adopt new mapping data. 2024 Kentucky Senate Bill 2 (2024 Ky. Acts ch. 165, sec. 11) - School Mapping Data Program. Districts should confirm current timelines with their state education agency.

What grants help Kentucky schools pay for safety mapping?

Kentucky districts may be eligible for programs including School Mapping Data Program funding (KRS 158.4433) - Center for School Safety, Project SERV (School Emergency Response to Violence). Eligibility, amounts, and deadlines vary by program and should be confirmed at each program's official source.

What is critical incident mapping?

Critical incident mapping is the practice of giving first responders accurate, current digital maps of a building, with rooms, exits, utility shutoffs, AEDs, and access points labeled and shareable in real time, so police, fire, and EMS can navigate an unfamiliar campus during an emergency.

New to the terms? See the school safety mapping glossary for plain-language, sourced definitions, or the national FAQ for the questions districts ask most.

Sources

Where does every claim on this page come from?

We do not ask you to take our word for any of this. Each numbered citation above links to its primary government source below, with the date we last verified it. Programs and deadlines change, so confirm current rules at the source. How we verify.

Kentucky Legislature - KRS 158.4433 (Legislative Research Commission) verified 2026-06-23
COPS Office - School Violence Prevention Program (official program page) verified 2026-09-01
Bureau of Justice Assistance - Available Funding (current open opportunities listing) verified 2026-09-01
U.S. Department of Education - Project SERV (official program page) verified 2026-09-01

Compare across state lines

What do the states bordering Kentucky require?

School safety mapping varies by state line. See where the states next door stand.

See how the rest of the South region compares on school safety mapping.

Free brief

Want the Kentucky brief on one page?

A printable summary of Kentucky’s mapping mandate, the grants that fund it, the buyer-side standard, and a district readiness checklist. Built to forward to your board.

→ Mandate status and key deadlines
→ State and federal grants that pay for it
→ Readiness checklist, every claim cited

Which Kentucky grants does your district actually qualify for?

A free 15-minute review of how your district can meet 2024 Kentucky Senate Bill 2 (2024 Ky. Acts ch. 165, sec. 11) - School Mapping Data Program and which Kentucky grants will pay for it.

→ First responder pre-registration included
→ One scan, one school day, zero disruption to classes
→ Grant guidance for Kentucky districts