The Barrow County School System has been awarded a federal grant to reimburse the district for purchases made to support Apalachee High School following the September 4 shooting on its campus last year.
The $1 million U.S.Department of Education Project SERV grant can only be used to reimburse expenses related to continuing instruction for the remainder of the 2024-25 school year.
When the tragedy initially occurred, the school system covered the $4 million cost for temporary classroom spaces, transportation and additional administrator and substitute expenses through fund balance and Capital Project funds. The system said using the money out-of-pocket meant funds initially intended to fund salaries and future projects were used to meet the school’s needs at the time.
The grant will be used to repay some the costs for the following resources:
- Temporary Classroom Pod (Small Unit) - A temporary pod of five classrooms and one office was available immediately to accommodate the missing classroom space.
- Lease of Full‐size Classroom Pod - A larger temporary pod of 16 classrooms was rented to replace the classroom space of J Hall, which was closed after the attack on campus.
- Transportation to CHEE East - From September 2024 through December 2024, before the large POD was delivered, buses took students to the alternative location for some of their instructional day.
- Substitute Expenses - These substitutes allowed AHS staff to take time for breaks or mental health services.
- Additional Administrator Expenses - Added administrators offered support and helped students and staff navigate the additional campus at Chee East and later the new pod.
“We are also thankful to have received other grants for additional mental health services and grants from the Barrow Community Foundation that have covered AHS-specific requests for mental health curriculum, accommodations of partitions and soft seating for classrooms and counseling areas, therapy dog needs, mental health providers, and substitutes for staff support,” the county said in a release.
The grant will help repay the Barrow County School System for costs associated with assisting Apalachee High School following the September 2024 shooting on the campus.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2025/6/1292447/barrow-county-schools-receive-grant-to-reimburse-costs-to-support-apalachee-high-school