North Carolina school safety

School mapping requirements & grants in North Carolina

North Carolina law requires every public school unit to give local law enforcement and the state Division of Emergency Management digital schematic diagrams (floor plans) and emergency response information for the School Risk Management Plan, which feeds the statewide State Emergency Response Application (SERA) used by first responders. Since July 1, 2026 they must also give both access to school mapping data from the state's new Critical Incident School Mapping Program, which is produced through one of up to three state-selected vendors. Diagrams must be kept updated and are exempt from public-records disclosure.^[1]

Why this matters in North Carolina

Why do North Carolina schools need responder-ready maps now?

North Carolina's mandate is never finished: every building change resets the obligation to refresh the digital diagrams feeding SERA, and static drawings drift out of date the moment a door or wall moves. Funding is contested: the 2024-25 School Safety Grants round drew more than $86.8 million in requests against $35 million awarded, and the 2026-27 round carries $30 million, so the districts that deploy an always-current twin now both satisfy the statute and compete strongest for limited funds.

The mandate

What does North Carolina law require?

Law

North Carolina School Risk Management Plan statutes (Article 8C, School Risk and Response Management System) - codified via S.L. 2018-5 / S.L. 2019-222 and predecessors, amended by S.L. 2026-41, Section 20.10 (effective July 1, 2026), which also created the Critical Incident School Mapping Program^[2]

Statute

N.C. Gen. Stat. 115C-105.53 and 115C-105.54 (Chapter 115C, Article 8C), as amended by S.L. 2026-41, s. 20.10; N.C. Gen. Stat. 143B-1209.103 (Critical Incident School Mapping Program)^[1]

Compliance

What schools must provide: Two complementary requirements, both amended by S.L. 2026-41, Section 20.10, effective July 1, 2026. (1) G.S. 115C-105.53: Each public school unit must provide local law enforcement agencies with schematic diagrams, INCLUDING DIGITAL schematic diagrams, of all school buildings, plus either keys to main entrances or emergency access to key-storage devices such as KNOX boxes, and now also access to school mapping data developed under G.S. 143B-1209.103; updated diagrams must be provided when substantial modifications (new facilities, changes to doors/windows) are made. (2) G.S. 115C-105.54: Each public school unit must provide the Division of Emergency Management (Dept. of Public Safety) with (i) schematic diagrams, including digital schematic diagrams, (ii) emergency response information requested by the Division for the School Risk Management Plan (SRMP), and (iii) access to that same school mapping data, with updates when made. The Division securely stores and distributes the diagrams/info to first responders, emergency personnel, and school personnel as provided in the SRMP and approved by DPI. The data is collected statewide into the State Emergency Response Application (SERA), which gives law enforcement, emergency managers and first responders access to school floorplans and critical building-asset data. (3) G.S. 143B-1209.103 (new): the Center for Safer Schools runs a Critical Incident School Mapping Program, subject to appropriation, to produce mapping data for every public school unit: floor plans overlaid on current, verified aerial imagery, oriented true north, with gridded x and y coordinates and site-specific labeling, verified by a walk-through and kept within the United States. The State Bureau of Investigation may contract with up to three vendors, and each governing body, in consultation with its primary local law enforcement agency, must enter an agreement with one of them to complete the mapping. Diagrams, emergency response information and program mapping data are exempt from public-records disclosure under G.S. 132-1 and 132-6.^[1]

Funding

What grants help North Carolina schools pay for mapping?

North Carolina 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.

North Carolina state programs

North Carolina School Safety Grants Program (NC Center for Safer Schools, a division of the State Bureau of Investigation)Annual

Funding $30,000,000 in nonrecurring funds appropriated for FY2026-27 (S.L. 2026-41; Joint Conference Committee Report on S.B. 257, item 137), of which the Center may retain up to $100,000 for administration. The act sets no per-applicant cap. Prior rounds: $35,000,000 to 230 districts and charter schools in 2023-24; $35,000,000 in 2024-25 (including $5.2 million for an AI pilot program) against more than $86.8 million requested; no School Safety Grant funds were distributed in 2025-26 because no state budget had passed. More than $150 million awarded cumulatively from 2018 through the 2023-24 round. Previously awarded 2021-2023 and 2023-2025 funds remain available to recipients through 2027-06-30 under S.L. 2025-56.

North Carolina public school units as defined in G.S. 115C-5, including traditional school districts and charter schools (charter schools may receive safety equipment grants notwithstanding G.S. 115C-218.105(b)). Each application must include a needs assessment performed with a local law enforcement agency that identifies current and ongoing needs and estimated costs. Grants fund services for students in crisis, school safety training, and safety equipment for school buildings plus training on that equipment; the Center may also use the funds to cover unmet School Resource Officer grant demand. Grants supplement and do not supplant existing funds.

Recurring program, confirm the current cycle at the source^[1]

Critical Incident School Mapping Program (NC Center for Safer Schools and State Bureau of Investigation, G.S. 143B-1209.103)Annual

Funding $14,300,000 appropriated for FY2026-27: $1,300,000 recurring and $13,000,000 nonrecurring (Joint Conference Committee Report on S.B. 257, item 136, page E52). Nonrecurring FY2026-27 funds may not exceed $5,000 per school; recurring funds may not exceed $500 per school per year. The Center pays the contracted provider once the primary local law enforcement agency certifies the mapping; money is not granted to the district.

All North Carolina public school units. This is a state-run program, not a competitive grant. The State Bureau of Investigation, in consultation with the Center, may contract with up to three providers, and each public school unit governing body, in consultation with its primary local law enforcement agency, must enter an agreement with one of them to map its schools. Mapping data must include floor plans overlaid on current, verified aerial imagery, oriented true north, with gridded x and y coordinates, site-specific labeling of rooms, doors, hazards, utilities, key boxes, AEDs and trauma kits, a walk-through verification, US-only creation and storage, and no added software or fees for public safety agencies to use it. Public school units must give local law enforcement and the Division of Emergency Management access to the resulting data (G.S. 115C-105.53 and 115C-105.54 as amended).

Recurring program, confirm the current cycle at the source^[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 ^[3]

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 ^[4]

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 ^[5]

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 North Carolina schools go from paper plans to a map responders can actually use?

North Carolina's requirement is continuous: diagrams must be digital, kept current, and updated whenever a building changes. Ark's single-day LiDAR scan produces a live 3D twin that stays accurate as your campus evolves and yields the digital schematic diagrams a public school unit has to hand to local law enforcement and to the Division of Emergency Management, which is the state's own route into SERA. Platform and setup come as one deployment, not a separate software line item. The 2026 budget adds a separate state-paid mapping program: each district will map through one of up to three vendors the State Bureau of Investigation selects by the end of January 2027. 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 North Carolina districts ask about school mapping?

Does North Carolina require school safety mapping?

Yes. Every North Carolina public school unit must give local law enforcement and the state Division of Emergency Management digital schematic diagrams and emergency response information, which feed the statewide SERA platform responders rely on (G.S. 115C-105.53 and 115C-105.54). Since July 1, 2026 they must also give both access to school mapping data from the state's new Critical Incident School Mapping Program (S.L. 2026-41). North Carolina law requires every public school unit to give local law enforcement and the state Division of Emergency Management digital schematic diagrams (floor plans) and emergency response information for the School Risk Management Plan, which feeds the statewide State Emergency Response Application (SERA) used by first responders. Since July 1, 2026 they must also give both access to school mapping data from the state's new Critical Incident School Mapping Program, which is produced through one of up to three state-selected vendors. Diagrams must be kept updated and are exempt from public-records disclosure.

What does North Carolina School Risk Management Plan statutes (Article 8C, School Risk and Response Management System) - codified via S.L. 2018-5 / S.L. 2019-222 and predecessors, amended by S.L. 2026-41, Section 20.10 (effective July 1, 2026), which also created the Critical Incident School Mapping Program require?

Two complementary requirements, both amended by S.L. 2026-41, Section 20.10, effective July 1, 2026. (1) G.S. 115C-105.53: Each public school unit must provide local law enforcement agencies with schematic diagrams, INCLUDING DIGITAL schematic diagrams, of all school buildings, plus either keys to main entrances or emergency access to key-storage devices such as KNOX boxes, and now also access to school mapping data developed under G.S. 143B-1209.103; updated diagrams must be provided when substantial modifications (new facilities, changes to doors/windows) are made. (2) G.S. 115C-105.54: Each public school unit must provide the Division of Emergency Management (Dept. of Public Safety) with (i) schematic diagrams, including digital schematic diagrams, (ii) emergency response information requested by the Division for the School Risk Management Plan (SRMP), and (iii) access to that same school mapping data, with updates when made. The Division securely stores and distributes the diagrams/info to first responders, emergency personnel, and school personnel as provided in the SRMP and approved by DPI. The data is collected statewide into the State Emergency Response Application (SERA), which gives law enforcement, emergency managers and first responders access to school floorplans and critical building-asset data. (3) G.S. 143B-1209.103 (new): the Center for Safer Schools runs a Critical Incident School Mapping Program, subject to appropriation, to produce mapping data for every public school unit: floor plans overlaid on current, verified aerial imagery, oriented true north, with gridded x and y coordinates and site-specific labeling, verified by a walk-through and kept within the United States. The State Bureau of Investigation may contract with up to three vendors, and each governing body, in consultation with its primary local law enforcement agency, must enter an agreement with one of them to complete the mapping. Diagrams, emergency response information and program mapping data are exempt from public-records disclosure under G.S. 132-1 and 132-6.

When must North Carolina schools comply?

No single statewide deadline date for schools is specified in statute; the diagram and emergency response obligation is ongoing, with updates whenever substantial building modifications or access-control changes are made. Under S.L. 2026-41, Section 20.10, the State Bureau of Investigation must finish selecting mapping vendors by the end of January 2027; the act sets no date by which each governing body must then sign with a vendor or complete its mapping. North Carolina School Risk Management Plan statutes (Article 8C, School Risk and Response Management System) - codified via S.L. 2018-5 / S.L. 2019-222 and predecessors, amended by S.L. 2026-41, Section 20.10 (effective July 1, 2026), which also created the Critical Incident School Mapping Program. Districts should confirm current timelines with their state education agency.

What grants help North Carolina schools pay for safety mapping?

North Carolina districts may be eligible for programs including North Carolina School Safety Grants Program (NC Center for Safer Schools, a division of the State Bureau of Investigation), Critical Incident School Mapping Program (NC Center for Safer Schools and State Bureau of Investigation, G.S. 143B-1209.103), 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.

North Carolina General Assembly - Session Law 2026-41 (Senate Bill 257), Section 20.10, Critical Incident School Mapping Data verified 2026-10-13
North Carolina General Assembly - N.C. Gen. Stat. 115C-105.53 (Enacted Legislation) verified 2026-10-13
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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina brief on one page?

A printable summary of North Carolina’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 North Carolina grants does your district actually qualify for?

A free 15-minute review of how your district can meet North Carolina School Risk Management Plan statutes (Article 8C, School Risk and Response Management System) - codified via S.L. 2018-5 / S.L. 2019-222 and predecessors, amended by S.L. 2026-41, Section 20.10 (effective July 1, 2026), which also created the Critical Incident School Mapping Program and which North Carolina grants will pay for it.

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