West Virginia State Funding
State Funding
West Virginia supports school safety through needs-based safety funding, school access safety planning, emergency mapping requirements, and newly enacted wearable panic alert legislation.
Safe Schools Fund
The Safe Schools Fund is established under West Virginia Code §18-5-48 to support safety and security measures for school facilities.
Eligible applicants may include county boards of education, public charter school governing boards, and multicounty vocational center administrative councils. Funding is distributed on the basis of need and remains subject to legislative appropriation.
The statute defines safety and security measures as actions that improve school facility security and student safety. Examples may include hiring school resource officers, installing weapon detection systems, and upgrading facility doors or windows.
Funding priorities are structured in stages. First, funds are directed toward special education video camera requirements. After those requirements are met, funds are used for safe school entryway needs. Once those needs have been addressed, remaining funds may be distributed based on other demonstrated safety and security needs.
Because annual funding depends on state appropriations, schools should verify current availability, application requirements, and eligible uses through the West Virginia Department of Education before planning projects.
School Access Safety Funding
West Virginia’s School Access Safety funding is administered through the School Building Authority and supports facility and access-safety improvements identified through approved planning and audit processes.
To qualify, a county board must have an approved School Access Safety Plan and a completed School Access Safety Audit. The plan must address access-safety needs across school facilities and become part of the county’s comprehensive educational facilities planning process.
Projects should directly address safety issues related to planning, deterrence, detection, delay, and communication for students, employees, parents, visitors, and emergency personnel entering or leaving school facilities.
A 15% local match is generally required. If a county cannot meet the match requirement, it may request a financial hardship waiver. Approved grant funds must usually be spent within one year of allocation, unless the School Building Authority grants an extension.
Potential projects may include secure entrances, access-control improvements, emergency communication, building diagrams for first responders, visitor access improvements, and other infrastructure that supports safer access to school facilities.
School Safety Mapping Funds
HB 3166
West Virginia House Bill 3166 created requirements for standardized school safety mapping data.
Each county board of education must create school safety mapping data that can support emergency response, public safety coordination, and crisis planning. The requirements become effective on September 1, 2026.
Mapping data must be compatible with public safety software platforms, printable, shareable electronically, viewable through open-source readers, oriented to true north, and overlaid with grid coordinates.
The maps must be verified through on-site walkthroughs and must include accurate floor plans over current aerial imagery. Required labels include room names, hallways, exterior doors, stairwells, hazards, utility controls, key boxes, automated external defibrillators, trauma kits, parking areas, athletic fields, surrounding roads, and neighboring properties.
The mapping data must be provided to the State Board of Education, the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and local first-response agencies, including police, fire, EMS, and other relevant local partners. Subject to available funding, each county board may receive up to $4,500 per school for the mapping requirements.
Alyssa’s Law in West Virginia
HB 4798
West Virginia enacted HB 4798, known as Alyssa’s Law, in 2026. The law became effective on June 8, 2026.
The law requires the West Virginia Board of Education, together with the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, to create rules by December 31, 2026 permitting wearable panic alert systems in public schools, contingent on available funding.
Each wearable panic alert system must be capable of integrating with local public safety answering point infrastructure to transmit 911 calls and mobile activations and initiate a campus-wide lockdown notification.
County boards may provide school employees with wearable panic alert devices that allow immediate contact with local emergency response agencies. If the devices are used, school personnel must receive training before the first day of school each year on the correct protocol and use of the device.
The law also requires school security data, including cameras, maps, and access control, to be accessible to local law enforcement under appropriate access protocols.
The Alyssa Alhadeff School Safety Fund was created within the State Treasury and is administered by the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security. Funds may be used for mobile panic buttons and similar school safety equipment. The law sunsets on December 31, 2029.
The funding information and links provided on this page are based on publicly available information at the time of publication. While we make every effort to keep this resource current and relevant, funding programs, eligibility requirements, deadlines, and website links may change over time. If you discover outdated information, inaccurate content, or a broken link, please let us know by emailing info@carehawk.com.